The Education First Alliance of North Carolina rightfully casts doubt on the increasing presence of health clinics within public schools. Given the various schemes perpetrated by the left on minors over the last quarter century, and intensifying today, their concern is amply justified. The idea that school clinics would be performing and billing for health services– both psychiatric and non-psychiatric– is wildly excessive.
The Rhino Times naively cheers the prospect of Guilford County Schools hiring more school nurses. This has been a major push during recent years. School administrators and teachers tend to like having school nurses on site because it enables them to avoid having to deal with certain messy situations.
But there is another dynamic at play that few people consider. With the massively increased number of nurses school systems hire, fewer nurses are available to perform much more vital medical services in hospital and outpatient settings. Various medical workplaces have seen a massive exodus of nurses because they have secured “cushy” school jobs that offer shorter work days, summers off and state benefits. This is occurring in the context of serious nursing shortages due to Covid and other factors.
Schools ought to concentrate on education; but sometimes that seems to be the last priority within public education systems during recent years. Unfortunately, both Republican and socialist politicians have jumped on the school clinic/ school nurse bandwagon.
I attended a very large high school in Atlanta, GA. We had a school nurse, Mrs. Bowcock. Her office was called the Clinic. I not sure exactly what her boundaries were in providing care. She sure didn’t provide mental health or dispense any medicines. I remember one occasion when I had a very high temperature and she sent me home. She wore a white, starched nurses uniform and was a nice lady. That was a long time ago.
Some of the mess taking place now would have been unimaginable back then, Fred.