The nurse’s office at PHS is a location where many students find themselves throughout the school year. To create a valuable space for student care, changes were needed.
The nurse’s office renovation took place over the summer. Maintenance Director Tim Guthrie, Tony Beckett, and several others began working in late May to prepare the office for the upcoming school year. The office was finished at the very beginning of August.
There were several reasons why Nurse Emme Moore wanted the nurses’ office renovated. Moore discussed with Superintendent Greg Walker how this could be a potential building improvement.
“The heating and cooling issues we have had with the nurse’s office, the need for a designated area for private conferences and telehealth appointments, the decreased amount of cleaning that would be necessary by removing one of the restrooms, and the potential for discouraging unwanted behaviors by having a better line of sight on students who are in the nurse’s office,” said Moore.
With the changes that happened, Moore hopes to get a lot out of the renovation for PHS students. The biggest concern Moore had was that she wanted to better care for the students at PHS.
“We are seeing more students asking to be able to have a virtual health or wellness visit with a provider while at school. These appointments are generally quick and done from a student’s personal device. It is convenient for students to stay in the school building during those appointments, as they can return to class as soon as it’s over. Converting one of the restrooms into a private conference area allows us to have a designated space for students to have those appointments,” said Moore.
Students are welcome to stop by the nurse’s office during passing periods. If a student feels the need to leave class to see the nurse, they must obtain permission and obtain a pass from the teacher. Students who take daily medications are expected to come to the nurse’s office at their scheduled time.
Moore has numerous goals for herself as the school nurse.
“As the school nurse, my goals are to help keep students safe while at school, to assess ailments, to treat those that I can, and to return students to class. Whitney and I are happy to be here for you and to help you understand that health and safety are very much within your control. As you get older and look to life outside of high school, we want to empower you to take control of your own health and well-being by encouraging good decisions. Making daily choices to eat well, drink enough water, get plenty of quality sleep, be physically active, ask your parent or guardian to take you to regular doctor and dentist appointments, and to avoid harmful and illicit substances are all things that you can do to help yourself. Many times, not feeling well can be attributed to a failure to do these crucial things,” said Moore.
