Lexington One Educational Foundation’s Health Fund Grants support students’ health in a number of ways

The Lexington One Educational Foundation’s most recent Health Fund Grant to Lexington County School District One Nursing and Health Services will support the health needs of students in the district in a variety of ways.

The first half of the grant provided 300 digital thermometers for Lexington District One nurses to distribute to students who do not have access to them at home. Nurses discovered that many families were ill equipped to monitor their children’s health and fever symptoms due to not being able to afford basic health monitoring equipment. Accordingly, the Educational Foundation’s grant enabled the district’s school nurses to distribute the digital thermometers as needed to families of underserved communities. This, in turn, enables the parents to monitor their child’s health and also positively impacts the school’s and community’s health outcomes.

The second half of the Health Fund Grant, which was recently funded, provided Albuterol inhalers and disposable chambers for 33 school locations. Now the nursing teams have these available to help students who experience an emergency respiratory issue, such as an asthma attack. Data collected previously in Lexington District One showed that there was a significant number of students who experienced asthma attacks and a handful of these students were sent to the hospital due to the severity of the attacks. Had the nursing teams had these on hand at the time, each student’s health emergency could have been quickly addressed and possibly resolved.

Nursing and Health Services Director Amy A. Wood, RN, stated, “The Lexington One Educational Foundation’s Health Fund Grant has once again made it possible for our students to experience the highest quality of care. Using these funds to purchase stock albuterol inhalers means we can now provide immediate, life-saving care to any student experiencing a severe asthma or respiratory event, even if they don’t have a personal inhaler at school. It removes a critical barrier to emergency care, ultimately ensuring that all of our students are safe, healthy, and ready to learn.”

The foundation’s executive director, Julie Anderson Washburn, shared, “These Health Fund Grants, as well as past ones that purchased Spot Vision Screeners, have all been possible thanks to Lexington One Educational Foundation Board of Directors and our donors who give to support students’ needs. We are so very grateful to everyone who donates to our mission!”

About Lexington County School District One Educational Foundation

Established 30 years ago as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Lexington One Educational Foundation is a source of growth and support for Lexington County School District One. Our mission is to support the district’s educational programs and enrich the quality of life in the Lexington community by raising and managing funds. Annually, the Foundation’s board, staff and volunteers work to build partnerships with individuals and corporations in order to benefit Lexington District One students, teachers, and schools. We plant seeds in our district that bloom into amazing educational opportunities for our students! To learn more about our mission and how to give, visit: www.Lex1EdFound.org.

PHOTO: Albuterol inhalers and chambers purchased via the Lexington One Educational Foundation’s Health Fund Grant.