Clinic
Health Clinic Specialist
571-252-2050 at Frances Hazel Reid Elementary
Hours
7:00 AM-2:30 PM
Shaunita Rhone, RN
Resource Nurse
571-252-1017 at Student Health Services
Health Clinic Specialists (HCS’s) are trained in First Aid, CPR, AED use, and Medication Administration (including Diabetes management), and work under the direct supervision of a Resource Nurse who is a Registered Nurse. HCS’s are stationed in the Offices of each elementary school, and are available every day during school hours. HCS’s are not allowed to make a medical diagnosis or give medical advice. If you have an urgent medical concern, please take your child to your personal physician, an urgent care, or an emergency room, depending on the situation.
Resource Nurses supervise the Health Clinic Specialists in the elementary schools and develop health-related training programs for school personnel. The Resource Nurse must be a Registered Nurse (R.N.) with at least a Bachelor's degree in Nursing. Each Resource Nurse covers 8-12 schools and is available via cell phone if needed by an HCS. Resource Nurses visit the Health Offices they cover frequently, and are available to parents via phone or email for any questions or concerns.
If your child has any significant medical needs, please notify the HCS, even if the school has been notified in previous years. If your child has Asthma, Diabetes, Seizures or Life-Threatening Allergies or other medical conditions, you and your physician need to annually complete a form so that the school will be able to address your child’s needs. These forms are available on the Frances Hazel Reid Website in the information drop down menu under Health Office or on the Loudoun County Public Schools Website in the For Parents drop down menu under Medication in School.
On the Frances Hazel Reid Website you may also find LCPS policy for over the counter medications, sick child guidelines and immunization requirements. Be sure to keep the Emergency Information updated in ParentVue, so that we can reach you if your child is ill or injured.
Reminders from the School Health Office
Our school’s health clinic specialist/registered nurse is Frecia Albarrasin. She works in the health office each day from 7:00 AM until 2:30 PM. A health clinic specialist (HCS) works under the direction and supervision of a registered nurse (resource nurse). School staff can contact the school resource nurse at any time for advice or emergencies. HCSs are trained in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), use of an external automatic defibrillator (AED), and medication administration. The resource nurse visits the school regularly. Please check the website for the resource nurse for your school. Health office personnel (HCSs and nurses) are not allowed to make a medical diagnosis. If you have an urgent medical concern, please take your child to their personal physician or a medical facility.
If your child has any significant medical needs, please notify the HCS/RN even if the school has been notified in previous school years. If your child has asthma, diabetes, seizures, life-threatening allergies, or other medical conditions, you and the physician will need to complete a form so the school can understand and address your child’s needs. These forms are available on the Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) website. These forms must be updated each school year.
School-Sponsored After-School Activities and Sports
If your child has diabetes, an epinephrine auto-injector, an inhaler, or other emergency medication at school, please notify the teacher/sponsor that your child has the health concern. Also notify the health clinic specialist/nurse 2 weeks prior to the event. The clinic is closed after dismissal and the HCS/RN is not in the building. Arrangements need to be made to have medication available and to train staff. It is strongly suggested that middle and high school students carry their own inhaler and/or epinephrine auto-injector for quick access to medication. For students to carry an inhaler, the physician must complete and sign the “Asthma Action Plan” giving his/her permission for the student to carry the inhaler, and the parent and student must sign page 3, the “Parent/Student Agreement for Permission to Carry an Inhaler”. For students with an epinephrine auto-injector, the physician will need to sign the bottom of the “Allergy Action Plan” and the parent and student will need to sign page 2 under “Agreement for Permission to Self-Administer and/or Carry Epinephrine.” For students with diabetes to carry any of their medical supplies, the diabetes form, Part 4: “Permission to Self-Carry and Self-Administer Diabetes Care,” will need to be signed by the physician, parent, and student.
If your child is ill because of a contagious disease such as the flu, strep throat, chickenpox, etc., it would be helpful to note the reason for the absence when you call the absentee call-line. This will help the school take measures to know the extent of the disease and reduce its spread.
Students who have fevers should be kept at home until free of fever for 24 hours. Students who do not feel well should stay home. When students come to school ill, they not only are unable to participate fully in class, but they may also infect other students with their illness.
A parent or guardian must deliver any medication (prescription or non-prescription) to the school office or health office. Students may not transport any medication to or from school. Parents are responsible for picking up any unused medication. Medication remaining in the health office at the end of the year will be destroyed according to state law and LCPS guidelines.
If your child takes a prescription medication and missing a dose would have serious health consequences (seizure medication, insulin, etc.), it is strongly suggested that a 24-hour supply of the medication be left in the school Health Office in case of a prolonged school day. The medication must be in an original pharmacy-labeled bottle and have a physician’s order on file in the health office. The order must give the times during the 24-hour period that the medication is to be administered.
The HCS/RN must have written instructions from the physician in order to administer prescription medications. The instructions should include:
student’s name;
name and purpose of the medication;
dosage and time of administration;
possible side effects and measures to take if those occur;
end date for administering the medication;
parent/guardian signature giving permission to administer medication and to contact physician,
and physician’s signature.
LCPS will not accept parent/guardian amendments to a physician’s order, including any restriction
of the principal’s designee (HCS/RN) from contacting the physician to clarify the medical order.
The “Authorization for Medication Administration” form should be used for physician’s orders.
Copies of this form as well as other medical forms are available in the school office or at the LCPS
website under Student Health Services.
All prescription medication must be in the original pharmacy bottle with the proper label containing the
student’s name, medication, dosage, and instructions for administration. Upon request, most pharmacies
will provide an extra labeled bottle with the proper amount of medication for school. Please do not send
more than a 60-day supply of medication.
If the HCS/RN needs to administer non-prescription medication:
it must be provided by the parent/guardian in an original package with the name of the medication
and instructions;
she must have a note from the parent regarding when and how much medication to administer;
she will only give the amount listed on the package for your child’s age and weight and for the
recommended length of time the student should receive the medication unless she has doctor’s
orders on the “Authorization for Medication Administration” form to dispense differently; and
she cannot administer medication that is not in its original container.
For the HCS/RN to give acetaminophen (generic Tylenol) to your child, you must have completed the section on the emergency card that gives permission and sign it. Parents/guardians of elementary students will be contacted before any acetaminophen is given in order to assure that it has not been given at home. Because acetaminophen taken in large amounts over a period of time can cause liver damage, middle and high school students may only receive four doses of acetaminophen in a four-week period. Before a fifth dose is given,the parent/guardian will be contacted.
Be sure to keep the “Emergency Information” updated so we can reach you if your child is ill or injured. This can easily be done on-line through the Parent VUE on the LCPS website.
All 3rd, 7th, and 10th grade students and students new to LCPS will be screened for vision and hearing during the first 60 days of school. Kindergarten students who did not have distance vision screening or hearing tests within two months of the beginning of school will also be screened.
The Commonwealth of Virginia requires that school divisions provide information on scoliosis to parents of students in grades 5-10. The scoliosis flyer on the next two pages is provided by the school at the beginning of each school year.