Medical Staff Helps Families Go 'Back to School'

Posted 8/12/24 (Mon)

All of us can remember what it was like each summer with school around the corner-trying to squeeze as much summer fun as possible into every remaining minute, preparing school supplies for the new year, the anticipation of meeting new teachers and seeing old friends. At Mobridge Regional Hospital & Clinics, our medical staff all take part in supporting local students in their own ways, whether it is by offering free and heavily discounted sports physicals, sending out vaccination reminders, or working directly with students in local schools.

Support for Sports

South Dakota High School Activities Association requires every high school student to pass a physical examination a minimum of once every three years before being allowed to participate in interscholastic athletics. Individual districts may require or recommend them more often. At our four rural health clinics, we offer free sports physical events and, outside of those events, we offer heavily discounted sports physicals ($30 each) for area families. So far this year, we have completed 202 free sports physicals and 10 discounted sports physicals for a total cost savings to area families of a little over $40,400.

Mobridge Regional Hospital and Clinics also provides an ambulance on site at all home football games in Mobridge and provides post-concussion care. When a coach pulls a student with a potential concussion from a practice or competition, the student is required to be cleared by a medical professional before he or she may resume participation. Heather Olson, PA, who works at our Mobridge Medical Clinic is trained in impact testing and working with students to get them back to their sport without sacrificing safety.

School Vaccinations

The state requires students going into PreK or Kindergarten (age 4) and 6^th grade (age 11), to be current on a variety of vaccinations. Each year, Lindsay Munkvold, RN, our Clinic Vaccine Coordinator, sends out reminder cards for all 4-year-olds and students entering 6^th grade who have not completed required vaccinations yet. If you are wondering whether you're getting one of these reminders this year, she sent them out in the mail earlier this week! For a full list of the vaccinations needed by 4-year-olds entering school or an early childhood program in South Dakota, or for additional requirements for 6^th grade entry, please click here.

https://doh.sd.gov/topics/immunizations-vaccinations/immunizations-required-for-sd-school-entry/

Physical and Occupational Therapy

Amy Cerney, DPT and Aundrea Hill, OTD, OTR/L are also gearing up for changes in their workweek when students go back to school. Amy works at Mobridge schools two days a week and Aundrea works there three days a week. "Our goal is to ensure all children at Mobridge Pollock School District get the most out of their school experience," explains Cerney. The PT/OT team at MRH&C does that by working to create a least restrictive environment where students with less developed gross or fine motor skills can participate as fully as possible with their classmates. As a physical therapist, Amy helps students participate in their education and school activities by improving their strength, balance, coordination and mobility. Aundrea focuses on occupational therapy, which is similar in some ways, but focuses specifically on helping students engage in meaningful activities and tasks that are important to their daily lives at school (e.g. helping a student learn how to correctly hold a pencil or use scissors). The time with each student varies. "We do our best to customize our care to best fit the needs of each individual student," explains Cerney.

Outside of their days at the school, the PT/OT Department at MRH&C plays several other important roles in the lives of local children. "We help students who need rehab for an injury, and we also work a lot with the Birth to 3 Program. Our PT/OT department is a Tier 1 provider for Birth to 3 services and is certified to use the Bright Beginnings model. In many cases, children are referred to the Birth to 3 program by a primary provider. If the Birth to 3 coordinator screens the student and finds they are significantly behind on certain milestones, the child is often referred to MRH&C's PT/OT Department for a comprehensive examination and, if needed, additional therapy appointments.

School Nurse

Shana Friesz, RN is the school nurse for Mobridge-Pollock and Selby-Herreid schools and provides scoliosis and head lice checks, among a variety of other things. She also plays a key role in fall flu vaccination events at local schools.

Mental and Behavioral Health

Last, but not least, Nicolette Longbrake works with students and families who want to schedule remote (telemedicine) mental and behavioral health appointments with one of our licensed clinical social workers. Suicide and homicide, both of which are strongly related to mental and behavioral health issues, are 2 of the leading 3 causes of death in the U.S. for individuals between age 5 and 24. Our mental and behavioral health services can be an effective part of treatment for problems such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, coping with daily life, trauma, PTSD, anger, grief, and ADHD. Nicolette's direct line is 605-845-8174.

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