Hi, I'm Sharron Barrett, RN Nursing Supervisor for the Cumberland County School System and clinic nurse for Brown Elementary. I attended nursing school in Virginia and have been an R.N. for 43 years gaining experience in many fields including clinical and administrative.

Thanks to Mrs. VanWinkle, the BOE and our County Commissioners we now have a nurse in all 11 of our Cumberland County Schools.

The role of the school nurse is ever changing and challenging. There is an increase in the number of diseases affecting our children including Diabetes, Respiratory and Cardiac. Working with a physicians order, the nurse performs multiple skills ie; Diabetic Management including - assessing blood sugar, administrating insulin, diet teaching; management of cardiac monitor; management of gastrostomy feeding tube; seizure management; wound care; administering routine scheduled medications; and prn medications, which includes administration of emergency drugs Glucagon and Epinephrine. The school nurse has the opportunity to assess, monitor, teach and to be a support person to these children.

The nurse is an extension to other activities which occur in our schools. One such activity is our "Food Backpack Program". In conjunction with Second Harvest Bank in Knoxville, we are able to send a backpack home on Fridays with enough food to feed every child in the home for the weekend for our needy children.

I'm proud to report the school nurses have instructed and cerified 600 of our teachers and support staff in CPR, First Aid and AED during this school year.

Being a school nurse is exciting - having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our children. Our children are our greatest natural resources and they are our future.

Working together, we are making a difference.

Thank you for Your Support and Cooperation,

Sharron Barrett, RN