School Nurse Shortage Means Ailing Students Go Without Medical Attention

BERKELEY (KPIX 5) -- Students across the Bay Area and California who need medical attention during school hours will often go without, because more that half of the state's schools can't afford to have a nurse available.

The American Association of Pediatrics updated its nurse policy this week, calling for one nurse in each school. But the schools in the state of California fall woefully short of that standard, and kids are paying the price.

At Rosa Parks Elementary in Berkeley recently, a little boy had to go home with a migraine. While he waited for his mother to pick him up, there was nothing the school could do to help him feel better.

"It feels really, really, bad. Really bad." said his mother, Ella Zafrir Ilan. "That I cant be here and help him feel better, which I know just to give him ibuprofen he'll feel better."

But her son couldn't have any - even though it's an over-the-counter medicine - because there isn't a school nurse dole it out. In fact, none of Berkeley's schools have one. The only nurse on staff has to tackle administrative items like vaccines and isn't involved in day-to-day student health.

Berkeley is just one of the state's school districts facing a major shortage of school nurses, while your kids are the ones paying the price. Across the state, it's one nurse to every 2,784 students. Most Bay Area counties are much worse than that. Santa Cruz is the worst, with 13,432 students per nurse. The best is San Francisco, with 1,517 students per nurse.

Ilan believes more nurses could make a huge difference. "If the nurse was here and could give him ibuprofen that would help," she said. "A lot." But instead, her little boy suffered through an awful headache while waiting for his mom to get there from work. There are plenty of other examples of similar situations.

Without a nurse, school secretaries become the caregivers. However, they are only allowed to give band-aids and ice packs. Districts like Berkeley have asked, but can't get the funding for anything else. So in the meantime, infirmary rooms sit empty while schools do the best they can with what they have.