The ADE School Nursing and Health Services page is designed to optimize student health and learning by advancing the practice of School Nursing in Arizona. The following resources, tools and events are available to support you in your practice.
The SSMP is a law that allows Arizona school systems to stock Epinephrine Auto-Injectors (EAIs) and other lifesaving medications. The annual training offered through the Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) has been updated and is now called the Kyah’s EPICourse.
Visit the WRPHTC's School Health & Child Health online training portal to access this course, along with others!
State-funded Epinephrine Auto Injectables (EAIs) are available while supplies last on a first-come-first-serve basis through the EAI COVID-19 redistribution program. Email Kimberly Ivich for more information on the program and availability!
Training and Professional Development
All virtual training and professional development opportunities will be recorded and made available on demand following the event. Participants are encouraged to attend events if available for the opportunity to engage in the conversation and provide an audience for our presenters.
NEW!Mental Health Webinar: A Guide for School Nurse & Health Staff
ADE has partnered with Teen Lifeline and a special guest speaker to educate school nurses and health staff on how to identify and respond to common mental health challenges youth face in relation to COVID-19.
April 2021 - Students with Chronic Health Conditions: A Proactive Approach to Transition
ADE and the Mayo Clinic come together for a 45 minute webinar to highlight the educational needs and identify ways to better prepare students with a chronic health condition and/or disability for their transition into adulthood.
School Nurses in Arizona must maintain a broad knowledge base, have confidence in their skills and be comfortable practicing independently. Because of this, it is important to have access to a reliable support system. ADE facilitates fun and engaging networking opportunities designed to provide new and experienced school nurses with information, encouragement and support to help build their confidence, knowledge and expertise.
Join us to connect and chat with school nurse and health office staff from across the state to share ideas, address challenges, gather updates and receive support. Huddles are hosted every month by an RN Health Consultant and School Health & Wellness Specialist with ADE. Meetings have a relaxed structure where participants are encouraged to come and go as they please.
Do you know a School Nurse or Health Office staff member in Arizona who deserves some appreciation?!
Submit their information and story below for the chance to have them be recognized in the next SN HUDDLE or featured in the monthly ADE School Nurse Newsletter!
Form COMING SOON!Email Us your candidates and stories!
School Nurse Committees
School Nurse Committees provide a platform where Arizona school nurses can go to impact change within the state. Committees meet virtually on a regular basis to address a specific need or new initiative that falls within the school nurse scope of practice. Additional committees will form as new initiatives emerge, all school nurses are welcome and encouraged to join!
We are currently recruiting those interested in joining this committee. Email us if that is you!
A Seizure Action Plan (SAP) contains the essential information schools need in order to help a student who has seizures. The lack of a standard SAP has led to a variety of different plans in practice across Arizona. This puts undue stress on school and health care providers when it comes time to collect and interpret plans into an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.
Phoenix Children's Hospital has partnered with ADE and the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona to develop a simplified SAP that can be adopted statewide. The SAP Committee is currently seeking the help of school nurses push this effort forward!
Interested in joining the SAP Committee? Email us to sit in on the next virtual meeting!
We are currently recruiting those interested in joining this committee. Email us if that is you!
We are currently recruiting those interested in joining this committee. Email us if that is you!
Arizona School Nurse and Health Staff Survey
ADE partnered with the School Nurse Organization of Arizona (SNOA) to support school nurse and health staff across the state through a survey. The survey has allowed ADE to identify professional development priorities, learn of the top five chronic health conditions in Arizona schools, determine how to engage school nurses in future school health efforts and identify COVID-19 related needs schools have or anticipate having.
Patricia (Pat) VanMaanen, MS, BSN, RN, has over 30 years of experience in the health care industry, currently working as a health consultant to address health issues across a variety of clinical, community and state level projects. Pat has provided health care and social service project management, policy analysis, technical writing, needs assessments and community surveys, and other services, often with a focus on children’s health. She supports clients’ understanding of health needs by analyzing public health data, identifying how diseases, conditions, and social determinants affect specific populations and geographic areas.
Pat holds a Master of Science from Texas Woman’s University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan. She serves or has served on several boards and advisory committees including the Arizona Public Health Association, the American Nurses Association PAC Board, the First Things First State Health Advisory Committee (Co-Chair), the Arizona Nurses Association Public Policy Committee, the St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center Community Benefit and Health Equity Committee (formerly CHIN) and the Children’s Action Alliance Healthy Children Coalition.
She is the 2019 recipient of the Arizona Public Health Association Harold B Woodward Achievement Award, the First Things First 2014 Champion for Young Children Award, the 2009 recipient of the Reach Out and Read Arizona Early Literacy Leader of the Year and the 2007 recipient of the Arizona Public Health Association Senator Andy Nichols Honor Award.
Zach Stover has over five years of experience coordinating health, wellness and athletic programs within schools (PreK-12), community organizations, college universities, and government agencies.
For the past three years Zach has specialized in school health beginning at the Mohave County Department of Public Health where he served as the Program Coordinator of Nutrition Education & Obesity Prevention as part of the Arizona SNAP-Ed program. In his most recent position as the Summer Programs and K-12 Outreach Coordinator for the College of Health Solutions at ASU, Zach developed a virtual summer program that provided free health education to over 400 students across 12 different states at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He now leads the Comprehensive School Wellness teams chronic disease management efforts in his current role as a School Health & Wellness Specialist where he works with school nurses across the state to ensure they have access to the resources and training they need to be successful in their practice.
Zach earned his degree in Health & Fitness Studies from Nebraska Wesleyan University and holds his credentials as an EMT with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). He is originally from the small town of Gretna, NE and currently lives in Laveen where he enjoys hiking with his fiancée, Amanda, and black lab, Alfred.
Through a collaboration with AZ Department of Health Services and AZ Department of Education, AHCCCS has launched a peer-based support program for educators
Project AWARE is a federal initiative funded by SAMHSA to build and expand the partnership between education and mental health systems at both the state and local levels.
