Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center Hosts Second Annual LAUSD School Nurses Day Conference

PANORAMA CITY, Calif., May 17, 2017 — On the heels of Nurses Week, Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center, in partnership with Los Angeles Unified School District, celebrated school nurses on Tuesday, May 16, with a unique day of professional development, curated to align diverse resources and expertise.

“School nurses juggle many complex medical and social issues while supporting thousands of students,” says Celeste Farugia, chief nurse executive, Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center. “Many LAUSD nurses serve in our communities and we are happy to collaborate and share resources, education, and partnership opportunities to make the school nurse experience as comprehensive as possible.”

During the day-long conference, Kaiser Permanente nurses and health educators presented on a variety of wellness topics, including: self-care, advanced care planning, and weight management. Special guest, Laura James, resource director for 211 LA County, provided training to the nurses on how to use their online platform, which is the central source for providing information and referrals for all health and human services in Los Angeles County. LAUSD Nursing Services presented on Welligent electronic health record software, as well as specialized procedures and treatment protocols.

“We want to provide our credentialed school nurses with the best tools and resources, and Kaiser Permanente helps us to make that possible,” says Yolanda Lasmarias, LAUSD nursing administrator, Local District Northeast. “Through their support with Thriving Schools and wellness programs, we can offer our nurses a well-rounded approach to caring for our students and for our nurses’ self-care.”

Part of Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit program includes Thriving Schools, a partnership for healthier students, staff, and teachers. It’s a national effort dedicated to improving the health in K-12 schools through a focus on healthy eating, active living, school employee wellness, and positive school climate.

For more than half a century, Kaiser Permanente has demonstrated a commitment to enhancing the health of local communities. The organization has a social mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve.

To learn more about Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit visit http://community.kp.org or contact Community Benefit Manager, Amy Wiese at Amy.C.Wiese@kp.org.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 11.8 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

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