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| SPONSOR: | Knauer | DATE TYPED: | 2-18-01 | HB | 226 | ||
| SHORT TITLE: | Hire Additional School Nurses | SB | |||||
| ANALYST: | Segura | ||||||
| Recurring
or Non-Rec |
Fund
Affected | ||||
| FY01 | FY02 | FY01 | FY02 | ||
| $ 3,510.0 | Recurring | General Fund | |||
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
State Department of Education SDE
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 226 appropriates $3,510.0 from the general fund to hire new school nurses.
Significant Issues
School nurses play an important role in the health care system, providing a variety of services. Data from SDE 1999-2000 School Health Services Report demonstrates that school nurses provided:
- over 50,000 student encounters fro crisis interventions and mental health counseling;
- treatments for 385 technology dependent-medically fragile students;
- 34,000 immunizations
- one million doses of medication, and
- treatment to over 18,000 students with chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
House Bill 226 appropriates $3,510.0 from the general fund and is recurring.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
SDE would have to determine which school districts needed additional school nurses and administer the funds accordingly.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
According to SDE, school nursing salaries are generally paid from the state general fund through the state equalization formula. Some school districts have utilized Medicaid in the Schools reimbursement dollars to fund school nurse positions. The language in House Bill 226 indicates that the additional school nurse positions be funded through a categorical appropriation administered by SDE.
In 1995-96 New Mexico schools employed 247 school nurses. The number employed in 2001 is 374, an increase of 127 nurses. SDE believes this increase is due to the availability of Medicaid in the school funds to hire nurses and a State Board of Education change in licensure requirements that permitted schools to employ registered nurses with associate degrees in entry level positions.
RS/njw