Sections:

Article

BOARDWATCH: 'The Board�s pro-business policy of moving essential health services to the private sector is not in the best interests of Chicago�s school children...' Nurses' testimony highlights dangers of privatization obsession of Rahm's appointed Board of Education.

Helen Ramirez Odell - February 26, 2015

[Editor's Note: Below is the written testimony prepared for presentation at the February 25, 2015 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education by veteran CPS nurse Helen Ramirez Odell. Not only did the Board members cut off the nurses' testimony, but the Board members, obsessively committed to expanding their privatization campaigns despite the destruction and dangers to the city's real public schools, simply ignored the issues raised by the nurses during their comments at the end of the Board meeting. George N. Schmidt Editor].

Retired school nurse and Chicago Teachers Union leader Helen Ramirez Odell (at podium) was one of two speakers who challenged the Board's decimation of school health services during the February 25, 2015 Board meeting. Standing with Ramirez Odell is Joan Lipschutz, who is currently working as a school nurse and who took a personal day to try and bring the crisis situation to the Board members, who ignored both nurses. On the big screen behind the speakers is the view of the podium showing the timing (two minutes) for each speaker and the green, yellow and red buttons that warn speakers when their paltry time is "UP!" Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.My name is Helen Ramirez-Odell and I am a retired school nurse with over 40 years working in Chicago Public Schools. When I worked certified school nurses served all the children in CPS. All students continue to need this service. Students with health problems and special education needs may need a great deal of nursing service. We want to provide this. CPS has hired LPNs to help with tube feedings, catheterizations and other nursing procedures.

But CPS is creating a crisis by leaving clinician vacancies unfilled and not hiring their own school nurses and LPNs to adequately serve the children.

The Board�s pro-business policy of moving essential health services to the private sector is not in the best interests of Chicago�s school children. Children need nurses and clinicians who are a part of their school community and have a voice as school workers. Health priorities often change. At this time a major concern is protecting our children from measles. Tomorrow it might be meningitis. School nurses are public health specialists and do their job well. They work hard to make sure our children are immunized.

CPS has been wrong to allow nursing levels to drop to the point where a school nurse serves so many schools she may have only one day or � day a week at a school. LPNs should not have to travel to several schools a day to catheterize students, care for diabetic students unable to care for themselves, or to give tube feedings. CPS will not necessarily save money by privatizing nursing and other clinician services such as social work. If the nurses are paid well by the agency and receive good benefits CPS is not likely to save money. If the nurses are given low pay and few benefits they are likely to be unreliable workers who move on to better positions as soon as they get the opportunity.

Let us not forget that private agencies are in the business to make money.

One of the largest healthcare agencies used by CPS takes in over a billion dollars a year nationwide. The agency was found guilty of defrauding the government of millions of dollars in 2011. Eight managers pleaded guilty. The agency paid a $20 million dollar fine and at least one of their managers was sentenced to a prison term. The managers� defense was that the company pressured them to boost profits. This did not happen in Illinois but is an example of what could happen when services to our children become a business. CPS can solve this problem by hiring more of their own nurses. In addition, CPS should consider setting up a department of their own where nurses and other clinicians can work on a part time or temporary basis, especially to fill in for those on illness or maternity leaves. Many retired school nurses and LPNs would be willing to serve just as the board now hires retired teachers to be substitutes and work on this basis. This would be a far better solution than decimating the positions of the nurses and privatizing the health care of our public school students.

Copyright 2006-2020 by Substance News. All rights reserved.