Cincinnati plan aims to save school nurse positions

Just months after Cincinnati City Council voted to gut the city’s school nursing program, a new privately funded plan has been put forward that aims at preserving 90 percent of the program (Source: “New approach to save school nurses,” Cincinnati Enquirer, April 2, 2011).

The program, which was funded through a partnership between the city and school district, paid for 50 nurses in the 42 elementary schools in the district. The city’s decision to pull it’s share of funding means 35 of the 50 teachers are set to be laid off on June 30.

However, a plan recommended by the Hamilton County Health Department calls for laying off only 13 nurses and replacing them with less experienced (and less costly) non-licensed workers. The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati has pledged $200,000 for the first year of the new program.