School Nurse Shortage In Mississippi

By: Heather Burke | WJTV
Published: September 08, 2009

The number of swine flu cases continues to grow across the state.
Some schools are having an especially difficult time keeping up because they don't have a nurse on staff.
According to the Mississippi Department of Education, there are 457 school nurses statewide.
Twelve districts don't have school nurses.
That includes six schools in the Delta as well as some in south and central Mississippi.
In Mississippi, the student nurse ratio is one nurse for every 11-hundred students.
That's compared to the national average which is one nurse for every 750 students.
Forest High School has not had a nurse for over two years.
"If we've got a child for example who has a serious health problem and something occurs in the classroom, that's putting a lot on the teacher who is not a health care professional," said Principal Tim Moore. "They're trying to handle a situation, really they shouldn't have to handle."
But teachers won't have to help sick students for long.
"The district has stepped out and we will conduct interviews to find a school nurse," said Moore.
The nurse hired will be responsible for all 1500 students in the district.
"With the budgets being cut as they are, with money not coming from the state, you do the best you can," said Moore. "And we're gonna do the best we can for our students."