Students with diabetes have unique challenges in enduring long school days. According to the documentation system used by Delaware school nurses, there are currently more than 300 registered students with type 1 diabetes in Delaware schools.
School nurses and staff play an important role in helping students manage their diabetes.
When Amy Hastings, a nurse facilitator with the Delaware Diabetes Coalition, learned she had Type I diabetes around her 15th birthday, she and her son, TJ, a student-athlete at Middletown High School, I experienced these experiences firsthand.
She saw the daily challenges and thought it would be helpful to provide information to school staff and parents facing similar challenges.
That’s why Hastings, a nurse at the Apokini Mink Preschool Center in Middletown, has opened a program in Delaware that invites nurses, teachers, coaches and staff to understand the challenges students with diabetes face every day. This led to efforts to introduce it in schools across the state. .
On March 16, Lions Supporting School Nurses for Children with Diabetes: Delaware Partnership, a program to answer all questions about students’ daily lives, will be available in all public and private schools in Delaware. She achieved her goal. I’m battling diabetes.
Hastings first approached John Monahan of Lions Club District 22 at a meeting with the Delaware Diabetes Coalition.
She told Monahan that she had heard about Salus Education’s Diabetes Care in Schools: Closing the Gap e-training program for teachers and schools in Virginia, which is supported by the Lions Club.
Hastings and the Delaware Diabetes Coalition then partnered with the Delaware Department of Education to apply for a grant through Lions Clubs International Foundation so that every school in Delaware could participate in the training.
Shortly after that meeting, Lions Clubs International Foundation decided to fund the program with $18,000 over the next two years.
The program offers three levels of diabetes training and is open to all school nurses, staff, contractors, and parents of children living with diabetes. This includes her 6-hour certification-eligible training for school nurses and her 30-minute optional training for non-nursing staff.
Mr. Monaghan, of the Lord Baltimore Lions Club, which represents residents of Ocean View, Dagsboro, Frankford, Millville and Bethany Beach, was happy to participate in bringing the diabetes program to Delaware schools.
“The Delaware Lions Club is excited to partner with the Delaware Diabetes Coalition and the Delaware Department of Education to bring this unique training program to our schools,” said Monaghan, Lions District 22-D Diabetes Chair. said.
“As diabetes has been identified as one of Lions Clubs International’s five global causes, local Lions clubs and their members are committed to supporting and promoting this initiative to improve the lives of people living with diabetes.” We will do what we can.”
Lions Clubs, an international service organization, focuses on vision, diabetes, youth and childhood cancer, the environment, and education.
Sara Bloom, executive director of the Delaware Diabetes Coalition, believes the program will be beneficial to both school staff and students.
“We are partnering with the Delaware Lions Club District 22-D and the Delaware Department of Education to offer innovative virtual education opportunities for all school nurses, staff, and parents in Delaware. “I’m very happy to be able to do this,” she said. “At a time when students are being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at an unprecedented rate, being able to provide this valuable learning content to the education system free of charge is a lifesaver for educators who work with these children.” Five days out of the week. “
Hastings couldn’t be happier, especially considering she was dealing with the same issues that many other parents and their families experience when their child receives an unexpected diabetes diagnosis. He added that there was no.
“I’m very excited,” Hastings said. “I have a son with type 1 diabetes who is a school nurse, and I have seen how difficult it is to keep up with the latest technology and treatments for diabetes in the school setting.
“Within a few weeks, we have already registered around 50 school nurses. For example, if your child is playing sports and you have a coach watch a 20-minute program to learn diabetes awareness training. This will help keep students safe.”
Additionally, the number of children living with diabetes continues to increase.
This disease, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, can affect people of any age.
This is a condition in which a person’s pancreas produces little or no insulin, an important hormone that converts glucose broken down from carbohydrates into energy.
Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction that damages the pancreas.
Having certain genes makes you more likely to develop the disease, but environmental factors such as viruses may also play a role.
Hastings is particularly pleased that the program is inclusive and open to both the school community and parents.
“Everyone at school needs to work together to keep children living with[diabetes]safe,” she said. “It is important that everyone who interacts with the student understands the basics and maintains[the student’s]blood sugar (level) at an appropriate number so that there is no immediate harm and the child’s safety is not at risk. ” This is a good thing both in the short and long term, so it is very important to properly manage children’s blood sugar levels in school settings.
“The available technology has made it much simpler to work with, but it does require a learning curve. However, the program is current and updated at least once a year, so if it comes out this year, It includes all new technology.”
Information about the Lions Supporting School Nurses for Children with Diabetes: Delaware Partnership program can be found under the Resources tab at dediabetescoalition.org.
Staff writer Mike Finney can be reached at 302-741-8230 or [email protected].
Follow @MikeFinneyDSN on X.
