Douglas County High School

Health Information

A Note from Health Services and the School Nurse Consultant

There is a professional Registered Nurse assigned to every DCSD school. DCSD School Nurse Consultants cover and travel between multiple school buildings but can be accessed by cell phone during school hours. There is always a School Nurse Consultant available to you each and every day of the school year, July through June. See the District website (www.dcsdk12.org), Parent and Student Central, Health Services, Health Services Directory. Here you will find the school assignments and the cell phone number to call for your School Nurse Consultant. You may also reach the Assistant Director of Educational Programing and Services/Health Services, Paulette Joswick RN at 303-387-0513.

We would like you to know that Health Services has a close relationship with Tri-County Health Department, your local health department, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Your School Nurse Consultant always confirms all reports of any cases of reportable communicable disease with the health department. Recently, there have been "presumed" cases of Influenza A, H1N1 (earlier known as the swine flu) in Douglas County . The Douglas County School Nurse Consultants in collaboration with the Tri-County Health Department support the following guidelines to limit and prevent the spread of the flu:

• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.  Alcohol based hand cleaners are also effective and recommended. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. 
• Avoid contact with sick people.
• If you or your children get sick, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) requires that you stay home from work or school for 48 hours after the last symptom ends, without the use of fever reducing medication. Call your family physician and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. 

• Monitor your student for flu symptoms and have your student remain at home if any symptoms appear until a determination can be made as to the severity of your student's illness. Do not send your student to school or other activities, programs or school events. This will help limit the spread of disease. Your student will be sent home if they come to school with any symptoms consistent with the flu. Please make arrangements ahead of time for day care in the event you cannot miss work while your child is ill. Schools cannot keep sick children in the health room at school due to the exposure to other children and school staff.

Symptoms for H1N1 flu are similar to seasonal flu and include : fever greater than 100 F, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, chills, headache and body aches, fatigue, and possibly vomiting and diarrhea.

It is projected that a vaccine will be available this fall. We do not know at this point how the vaccine will be distributed but information about the vaccine and updated flu information will be placed on the DCSD website when new information becomes available.

Parents with additional questions regarding H1N1 flu can call the Colorado Help Line at

 1-877-462-2911. Questions are being answered in both English and Spanish.

Additional information regarding H1N1 flu can also be found at the following websites:

·         Tri-County Health                                   http://www.tchd.org

·         The Colorado Department of Health          http://www.cdphe.state.co.us

·         Centers for Disease Control                            http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you/html

DCSD cleaning staff will continue to clean our school buildings and classrooms per the DCSD protocols. Our goal is to keep the students of the Douglas County School District healthy and safe. If you have any questions, please reference the CDC, your personal health care provider or your School Nurse Consultant.