Nurses Get Back-to-School Training on Childhood Obesity
In an effort to grow Coordinated School Health as an academic priority, Greenville County Schools co-sponsored a staff development session for about 120 school nurses that reinforced the importance of coordinated efforts between nurses, students, parents, and community medical partners.
The day-long staff development session highlighted the programs and partnership initiatives between GCS and the Greenville Hospital System, especially in the areas of addressing youth obesity. Presenters from the Children’s Hospital, Piedmont Health Foundation, Furman University, and Greenville County Schools discussed the causes of obesity, healthy nutrition, and the C.A.T.C.H. (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) program.
Members on a discussion panel provided nurses with suggestions and ideas to enhance their schools’ wellness programs and potentially slow the flow of children visiting the health room because of poor nutrition. The session also included training on how to accurately calculate a student’s Body Mass Index (BMI). Every school in the district will receive a new scale for the health room, beginning with the elementary schools, thanks to a donation from Furman University.