Catawba County News
Catawba County 101
Published: October 01, 2026
MAKING. LIVING. BETTER: Catawba County Public Health’s School Health Program
Briefly describe the area you are spotlighting. What is its mission/purpose?
Catawba County Public Health’s School Health team ensures that children in grades K-12 have access to preventive and acute health care services. Routine health care promotes physical, social and emotional growth of children through the early detection, treatment and referral of health problems, illness prevention and anticipatory guidance.
Healthy children learn better. Public Health’s School Nurses provide a vital link between student health and academic success by working to eliminate chronic health conditions as a barrier and are a critical connector between students’ families and physicians. One of their primary goals is ensuring that health barriers are overcome so students are fully present in classrooms focused on learning.
How do you achieve your mission – what services are offered?
The primary role of the School Nurse is to support student learning and promote student and staff health and safety. The nurse coordinates care for students with chronic health conditions and responds to immediate needs within the school, assesses immunization status, provides condition-specific education for students and staff, encourages a healthy school environment, supports nutrition and physical education initiatives in the schools and links families to health resources in the community, including helping them find a medical home for their student.
School Health Nurses also lead Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERT) with staff in schools. This team expands capacity within each school for responding to health-related situations by training school staff to assist in responding to emergencies like allergic reactions or provide first aid for injuries.
Who does this department/service area/program serve?
Our School Health Nurses serve the students and staff in every public school in Catawba County. This includes providing support to parents and families to address their health needs.
How and where are services delivered?
Services are delivered through direct nursing care, education, and health counseling in every elementary, middle and high school in all three county school systems. In each school, our nurses have an office that students and staff can visit to address health needs. Some students visit their nurse every day for specialized care for chronic health conditions, including things like getting their medications or having their blood sugar monitored. In the 2025-26 school year, there were more than 26,000 visits to the nurse’s office, and 93% of those children returned to class after their visit, ensuring that these students are in class, where they learn best.
How many staff members are involved in delivering services?
There are 29 School Health Nurses who serve 44 school locations.
How does our community and/or organization benefit from these services?
School Health Nurses are frontline caregivers, especially when there are emergencies in schools and they have to act quickly. One Catawba County Public Health School Nurse’s quick actions helped save the life of a staff member at her school who was pulse-less. Rejohnda Tucker, a School Nurse assigned to Catawba County Schools, was able to initiate lifesaving measures and used an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), a medical device that is designed to shock the person’s heart and bring it back into a normal rhythm. Use of CPR and the AED were successful and the staff member regained consciousness before being taken to the hospital.
Another nurse’s quick actions saved a child who was choking. Kristen Killian, a School Nurse assigned to Catawba County Schools, successfully performed the Heimlich Maneuver on a child at her school and expelled the item blocking the child’s windpipe, allowing the student to breathe normally again. These lifesaving actions are a true testament to the value our School Nurses have in protecting the health of our County.
School Health Nurses are parents’ partners in their children’s health. They work one-on-one with students who have specific health needs, such as diabetes or asthma, so parents can send their children to school without worrying about their wellbeing. Our nurses also help families secure primary care, access healthy foods, and connect them to resources in our community to make sure they are living their healthiest lives.
Please share anything unique or interesting about this program you would want people to know.
The School Health program is available through a collaboration between Catawba County Government, Catawba Valley Medical Center, and all three school systems in Catawba County.