School Nurse Corps
Contact Information
Maria McKelvey-Hemphill
Administrative Assistant 4360-725-6049
Annie Hetzel
School Health Services Consultant360-725-6040
The School Nurse Corps (SNC) program helps to ensure that all students in Washington have access to registered nursing services. Access to a registered nurse promotes student safety, improves attendance, fosters academic achievement, reduces health and educational disparities, and contributes to creating an engaged and informed citizenry and workforce. The contributions made by the SNC provide powerful support in meeting educational objectives and reinforcing the goals of health reform implementation in Washington.
SNC Nurse Administrators provide training, mentoring, consultation, technical assistance, and professional development for nurses and administrators in all school districts.
Objective
The partnership agreement between OSPI and Educational Service Districts (ESD) reflects the mission and vision of SNC and the general understanding that school districts need additional support to keep their students healthy, safe, and ready to learn.
Mission
School Nurse Corps, in partnership with schools, families, and communities, improves student health outcomes, safety, and readiness to learn. School Nurse Corps promotes equity by increasing student access to professional registered nurses and expanding public school district's capacity to provide a safe and healthy learning environment.
Vision Statement
All children receive equitable, full access to school nursing services to be safe, healthy, and successful in school and life.
- Students with health care needs will be safe while engaged in school activities.
- SNC Nurse Administrators strengthen Washington state schools’ capacity to provide a safe and healthy learning environment.
School Nurse Corps Administrators
| ESD | SNC Administrator | Website |
|---|---|---|
| ESD 101 | Alma McNamee, MHA, RN | North East Washington ESD 101 |
| ESD 105 | Anitramarina Berk, RN | Educational Service District 105 |
| ESD 112 | Colleen Wahto, RN, BSN | Educational Service District 112 |
| ESD 113 | Lynn Nelson, RN, MSN, NCSN | Capital Region ESD 113 |
| ESD 114 | Wendy Jones, RN | Olympic Educational Service District 114 |
| Puget Sound ESD 121 | Susan Keller, RN MSN NCSN | Puget Sound Educational Service District 121 |
| ESD 123 | Les Stahlnecker, RN, MS | Educational Service District 123 |
| North Central ESD 171 | Blanca Salgado, RN, BSN | North Central Educational Services 171 |
| Northwest ESD 189 | Sarah Barquero, MSN, RN | Northwest Educational Service District 189 |
School Nurse Corps History
The SNC was initially created by the Legislature in 1999 in response to a critical gap in student health care needs, especially in small, rural school districts as identified in the 1997 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) Survey of School Nurses. Funding is allocated to each of the nine Educational Service Districts (ESDs) School Nurse Corps Nurse Administrators to support registered nursing hours for the neediest schools in their regions.