Doctors and teachers are calling for more nurses in Michigan schools

(WPBN/WGTU) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently signed a bill adding $125 million to the state’s education budget for student health and safety.

One nonprofit wants schools to use the money to hire more school nurses.

The Michigan Association of School Nurses said there are only 700 nurses for 1.5 million students in Michigan schools.

It’s not enough, especially for children with chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes.

“Having a trained health professional on site means faster interventions, reducing the need for emergency services and unnecessary – and perhaps unwarranted – hospital visits,” said MASN President Hendrina Cupery.

“About 20% of children experience behavioral health issues, which also puts students at greater risk of missing school,” says Dr. Elliot Attisha. “The school nurse is often the first point of contact for a student dealing with a behavioral health problem.”

The MASN wants to see more school nurses hired with newly available funds.

But some schools have to make difficult choices.

Bellaire Public Schools hasn’t had a nurse in a decade and is using the money to pay for a social worker.

“Our numbers here are small, we have just over 200 students – 250 I think – so we don’t have the population to support a full-time social worker,” said Superintendent Julie Brown. “In this case we are working with Alba.”

“So one of the barriers we have is not just funding mental health and medical health care, it’s also finding people who can fill the position and want to be split between two districts,” Brown said.

Conversely, Petoskey is steady with two school nurses, even as nearby North Central Michigan College ramps up its nursing program to address shortages.

“One of the benefits of working in a school district is that you work the same schedule as your children,” says Superintendent Dr. Jeffery Leslie.

“You have the summers off, you have the same vacations and vacations as your children,” said Dr. Leslie. “You don’t work nights and weekends, so there are a lot of advantages for working parents.”