“Waterbury School Nurses and Public Health Aides ensure that our City’s 23,000 school children are healthy, safe and ready to learn.”
The City of Waterbury was an early adopter in 1904 of the School Nursing Innovation. The Waterbury Department of Public Health has been providing school nursing services ever since 1904, to ensure that Waterbury school children are healthy, safe and ready to learn. Our Registered Nurses provide comprehensive school health services to 23,000 students, preschool through high school, at 38 Waterbury Public, parochial and private schools. Services are provided within the laws of the State of Connecticut Department of Education.
School Nursing in the City of Waterbury is an exciting and rewarding specialty nursing practice focused on supporting the health, safety and education of youth aged 3-21. To explore this career pathway, apply here:
Asthma is the number one chronic illness of students in the Waterbury School District. During the 2017-2018 school year, there were 4,332 students diagnosed with asthma in Waterbury schools but as of March 2018, there were only 168 Asthma Action Plans and only 1,264 asthma inhaler orders on file for these students. The Waterbury School Nurses administered asthma rescue inhalers to students 10,241 times and nebulizer treatments 260 times during the school year.
For the 2018-2019 school year, the Waterbury School Nurses standardized around the use of Asthma Action Plans to ensure quality care for each student diagnosed with asthma. As of December 2018, there are 4,082 students with a diagnosis of asthma in Waterbury schools and as a result of standardization, the Waterbury School Nurses now have on file 840 Asthma Action Plans detailing care for each student with asthma, as well as 96 asthma inhaler orders.
According to the CDC, all people with asthma should have an asthma action plan. An asthma action plan (also called a management plan) is a written plan that is developed by your doctor to help control asthma. The asthma action plan outlines daily treatment, such as what kind of medicines to take and when to take them. The Asthma Action Plan describes how to control asthma long term AND how to handle worsening asthma, or attacks. The plan explains when to call the doctor or go to the emergency room.
If your child has asthma, all of the people who care for him or her should know about the child’s Asthma Action Plan. These caregivers include other family members, babysitters and workers at daycare centers, schools, and camps. These caretakers all can help your child follow his or her action plan.
To address this, the Waterbury School Nursing program has introduced the following measures to better care for students with asthma:
1. New Standard Form: Asthma Medication Authorization & Asthma Action Plan
The Waterbury School Nurses have standardized around the use of a Connecticut Department Public Health form specifically designed to help provide quality care for students with asthma. The new form combines authorization by the student’s health care provider for up to 3 asthma medications in school with an Asthma Action Plan.
If your child has asthma, please be sure that your healthcare provider uses this form when prescribing asthma medications for use by your child in Waterbury schools. This form will provide the Waterbury School Nurses with the information needed to provide your child with quality care while at school.
NEW ASTHMA FORMS: Your healthcare provider should use this combination Asthma Medication Authorization & Asthma Action Plan.
2. Easy Breathing© for Schools
The Waterbury School Nurses are implementing the Easy Breathing© for Schools Program which was developed by asthma experts at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Easy Breathing for Schools is a nurse-centered school-based asthma program designed to identify students with asthma who are at high risk for adverse outcomes and to assist school nurses in better managing those students including by means of an Asthma Action Plan.
The goal of the program is to improve asthma control and reduce asthma-related school absenteeism.
The Easy Breathing for Schools program focuses on four main components:
Immunization Requirements for Enrolled Students in CT Schools for 2022-2023 School Year
Forms and Resources
In accordance with Connecticut General statutes, each student enrolled in the Waterbury school system is required to have a health assessment by a legally qualified practitioner of medicine (physician or osteopath licensed to practice in the United States), or by an advanced practice registered nurse, or Physician Assistant licensed to practice in Connecticut according to the following schedule:
To locate a healthcare provider for needed school physicals and immunizations, please see:
Area Resources for School Physicals & Immunizations
Pre-K Early Childhood Health Assessment (For Pre-K3 and Pre-K4)
Grades K, 6 & 10 Health Assessment Record/Health and Education Sports Permission Form
Asthma Medication Authorization and Asthma Action Plan
Authorization for the Administration of Medication by School, Child Care and Youth Camp Personnel
Waterbury School Nurses BMI Data Analysis 2013-14 & 2014-15
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