TOMORROW IS A NEW DAY......

It has been a tremendously busy day both personally and professionally.  There are never handbooks given to new parents when the first baby is born.  You really fly by the seat of your pants.  I feel like I do alot of that these days.  Being prepared to have a child that has been as ill as Matthew has for 5 years is not something that just happens.  There is no way to prepare for it.  You just do what feels right in your heart and I lean on my faith daily.  Often the emotional struggles of illness are just as hard as the physical.  Today was one of those days of being tested as a parent to handle the emotional crisis.  I think we fared well.  All is peaceful in the Goodwin home tonight and both boys have been asleep since 8PM.  Praying for a good night's sleep for everyone.  I go back to my frequently used saying....."Tomorrow is a new day!"

On the professoinal front I did some further research on the data I found last night.  Specifically data related to my home state of Louisiana.  I blogged last night about the different health screening criteria by varying states.  It is baffling to me to see that there are indeed states in this country that put children's health and safety into the highet regard as to how it pertains to their education and then there are others that are way behind in the game. 

Basically there are three screening programs that are listed on the National Board of Education site that each state could possibly use. The only screening programs that Louisiana has in place are for hearing and vision.  There are no health/medical forms that need to be submitted other than immunization records in order to register for school.  Here is what is required:

• An official birth certificate (children born in Louisiana will receive a 15-day grace period, while children born outside Louisiana will be given a 30-day grace period to produce a copy of their birth record.);
• A record of immunization; and
• An official Social Security card. If no Social Security is available, the student shall be assigned a state identification number.

Why is it that we have several states in this country that require a medical/health evaulation by a licensed physician that INCLUDES a baseline blood pressure reading and there are states that do not.  A child that has an underlying condition such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, etc. could have their education greatly affected.  Symptoms that may seem superficial could be indicative of more serious issues.  Hypertension for example is called the silent killer because there are often no outward signs or symptons until it has escalated.  A child with continued headaches or dizzy spells will not be able to function in class and perform at their peak.  Therefore, they will not be learning at their full potential.  

 

It is time for a change.  There are some goals I have made and will be moving forward.  I will not rest until every child in this country is receiving routine bp screens.  They need to start by age 3 but a beginning point can be with school health screenings required to start kindergarten.  This is a movement that must move forward.