Nurses have always played an important role in my life. My grandfather was the first male nurse at St. Vincent Hospital, and went on to become a physician. On the other side of my family, my Aunt Marion (Dr. Barber’s sister) was the Director of Nursing by day at St. Vincent, and at night was the caregiver of neighbors in need on Erie’s East side (then known as “Kingtown.”)
Aunt Marion was certainly a mentor for my late sister JoAnne, who knew that she wanted to be a nurse even as a preteen. To my Dad, a nursing degree meant that JoAnne could not go to St. Mary’s College, but she could go to Georgetown. JoAnne loved being the Litchfield school nurse, and often shared stories of helping children and families.
Kathy Babins and Ellen Danowski
And so, as we bring to a close Nurse’s Appreciation Week I’d like to take a moment to recognize the Elizabeth Lee Black School nurses, Ellen Danowski and Kathy Babins. I know that we are fortunate to have such dedicated, caring nurses in our school. Ellie and Kathy can always be counted on to respond to student’s medical needs calmly, with expert nursing care and a smile.
ELBS is unique in that we educate students from 22 school districts, many of whom have multiple, complex disabilities that require special treatments. Sadly, many of our students have seizure disorders, so it’s rare for a day to pass without a “Code Red” – which calls our nurses to a child’s location for emergency treatment. Of course, our nurses complete semi-annual height, weight, and eye assessments along with dental exams, in addition to the numerous demands throughout their day.
The health and safety of our children are paramount. Thus, they constantly communicate with our team, our families and other medical providers to ensure continuity of care. When I asked Ellie and Kathy about their role at the ELBS, they commented:
“Working at the Elizabeth Lee Black School is a very rewarding experience. Everyday, we have the pleasure of working with amazing children. Being able to help the students at ELBS is very satisfying and watching them leave our office with a smile makes it worth coming to work everyday. There is no job that can compare.”
On behalf of our students and faculty, thank you Ellie and Kathy for everything you do to help make dreams come true for our children and their families.
retty.
Has this program made a difference? Most definitely yes for both our children and our families. In most cases, in-patient treatment is avoided and the children are able to remain at home with their families. Although our numbers are small (only 20 children are served at any given time through MH Partial) the intensity of the services yields very positive results. We plan to continue this component of our approved private school program as long as the need exists.
The first week of May is full of moments created to celebrate and appreciate the wonderful people in our lives – teachers, nurses, therapists, paraeducators, behavior specialists and many, many support personnel. This year, National Teacher Appreciation Day is Tuesday, May 5. However, at the Barber National Institute we are recognizing all our staff who work so diligently in our school during “Staff Appreciation Week.”
Similarly, if I held up an item of my own and asked the same question, he would answer “mine,” meaning “yours.” Essentially, he mixed up his pronouns.
“Connections” Camp for children and teens with high-functioning autism is one of the favorites. We initiated Connections Camp nine years ago, to help children develop and practice social skills in the most effective ways. This is always a thoroughly enjoyable camp experience, fostering new friendships and a lot of fun. Ryan participated in this program for a number of years. I saw significant improvements in his social interactions with his peers. I would recommend the program to all parents.
“Learn to Ride” Bike Camp is a four-week program to help children develop skills to ride their bikes independently. Camp will be offered in Erie and in Warren, PA free of charge in summer of 2015, funded by a grant from the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber Foundation. Bike Camp is open to any youngster in the community who is able to pedal but who has not been successful riding without training wheels.
