Student’s Project Stocks Ala. School System with Nursing Supplies

FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — Joshua Norris did more than lend a sympathetic ear to a school nurse when she told him about how she and many of her peers bought extra medical supplies out-of pocket.

He got moving.

For a community service project in his paramedic class at Northwest Shoals Community College, Norris developed Nursing the Nurses to bring medical supplies into Tuscumbia schools.

In September, Gov. Bob Riley announced a 7.5 proration in the state’s education budget to supplement a rise in employee health insurance. In curbing one health need, the cut may wind up affecting students’ health-related issues at school.

The proration affects more than postponing purchases of yellow buses and air conditioners for gyms. It affects diabetic students who require special health care supplies, such as glucose monitors and others who simply need a bandage to cover a scraped knee.

“I don’t think that it’s publicized enough how bad the schools have it,” said Norris after class one evening. “I don’t think the public knows.”

The project is close to Norris because he has two sisters in the school system.

When he met with system-wide nurse Lori Blackburn, the shortage of supplies shocked him.

“I figured she might need some Band-Aids, cotton balls, but the list she gave me was two pages long,” Norris said. “I was blown away even by the simple things. I mean there’s feminine care products they need. It never occurred to me that they needed so many things at a school.”

Said Blackburn: “I feel like it’s Santa Claus when he comes in,’’ Blackburn said.

Norris’ interest in helping surprised her.

“I could tell he was on a mission, and I could tell he was very passionate about this,” she said. “That was like a big pat on the back to me.”

When he approached Blackburn in August, the supplies account was far from overflowing.

“We just were out of money at that time and weren’t sure where we would get money this year,” Blackburn said. “I wasn’t sure if we would have any money at all to help with supplies.”

Bandages topped the list of 36 items Blackburn gave him, but it’s more expensive supplies such as glucose monitors and strips for blood samples that needed to be fulfilled quickly. G.W. Trenholm Primary, R.E. Thompson Intermediate, Deshler Middle and Deshler High schools divide the supplies.

After contacting businesses and individuals with little success — “they said ‘we’re kind of tapped out’ or ‘we already supply a school,’” Norris said — Trading Post Discount Drugs and Helen Keller Hospital came to the rescue.

“They were sort of running low on those items, and it turned out that we had some in our supply, so we shared,” said Julia Boughner, community relations and volunteer services director at Keller.

She’s not certain the hospital will continue to give regularly.

“Whether or not we’ll be able to do that in the future, I don’t know,” Boughner said. “We certainly like to be able to help when we can.”

After Keller’s donation, Nursing the Nurses hit a roadblock in donations. But the schools now lack few essentials, thanks to Norris.

“As time goes on we will need more, but it has tremendously helped us,” Blackburn said. “We are not in desperate need in anything as of right now, and he has helped that.”

After he graduates, Norris, 30, hopes to continue aiding the Nursing the Nurses program that he created.

He may hand over leadership or establish the program as an ongoing affiliation at Northwest Shoals Community College.

Until then, Blackburn and other nurses will wipe cuts and check fevers with care, remembering other schools with similar needs.

“We have to be very frugal with what we have, so I’m sure it is a common problem,” she said.

“You can never have enough supplies really. Band-Aids fix a lot,” she added, with a laugh.

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