Polk BOE learns more about potential nursing program

CEDARTOWN — A pair of Floyd Medical Center executives brought with them more information on a program that assistant superintendent Greg Teems brought to the Polk County Board of Education for looking at contracting out the school nursing program.

Charlie Zebow and Chris Butler told school board members that Floyd Medical Center could bring the 11 schools in the system not only a program that utilizes facilities and physicians already within the hospital network, but material and financial resources too.

Especially in one crucial area for nurses treating students and faculty in the schools: medical liability insurance.

Polk School District does have malpractice liability insurance for nurses currently, but could save costs on that and more if they choose to contract out the program to Floyd Medical Center.

Nurses would also have instant access to doctors and physicians assistants when they have questions about ailments or problems students are having when they come to the nurse’s office, and supplies they need such as donations of EpiPens to schools throughout the district.

Zebow and Butler also said that Floyd Medical Center would be able to provide a medical director to come in and validate policies and procedures, and take care of training and recruiting of new nurses in schools when nurses change jobs or retire.

The benefits do come with a price tag at $359,000 annually according to figures presented to the board.

Board member Hal Floyd asked for a cost estimate of how much it would save the board overall if the nursing program was contracted out, which Teems said he had looked at before and figured at around $15,000 versus what it currently costs to keep school nurses within the district. Floyd said he wanted a more specific rundown of costs currently versus the hospital proposal.

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