Monroe County School Clinics experienced a 46 percent reduction in strep throat cases in the 2007/2008 school year as compared to the previous year, according to Dr. Barbara Levin, medical director for the school-based clinics, a component of Chota Community Health Services.  Chota operates seven such clinics in the Monroe County School system.

"With school starting on Aug. 6, it's important to remind everyone what an important role these clinics play in the well-being of our children," said Sonia Hardin, RN, Monroe County School Health Supervisor.

Dr. Levin points out that a minor illness such as strep throat can have serious consequences. If left untreated, strep throat can threaten the body's immune system, and cause complications such as rheumatic fever or less frequently, an inflammation of the kidneys (glomerulonephritis).  

In 2007/2008, 491 strep swabs were performed in the school-based clinics compared to 1,065 in 2006/2007. Clinic Administrator Laura Harris attributes the drop in strep cases to a number of factors.  Last year, nurse practitioners changed the treatment regimen and moved away from prescribing Amoxicillin. Instead, they prescribed more Pen V K, Z-Pack, Septra, and Augmentin because they were seeing fewer recurrences with these antibiotics as compared to Amoxicillin. 

Nurses also performed a follow-up strep swab in two weeks to make certain the infection was gone.  Students also were encouraged to avoid water fountains by bringing a water bottle from home to use in their classroom daily. 

The average attendance each year seems to correlate to the percentage of students the nurses send back to class.  For the 2006/2007 school year, the average attendance for the school system was 93 percent, which is the same percentage of students nurses sent back to class.  In the 2007/2008 school year, the average attendance rate increased to 94 percent, the same percentage the nurses sent back to class.  With the decrease in strep throat cases, nurses sent more students back to class.

Chota's school-based healthcare program includes clinics at Tellico Plains Elementary/Junior High School, Tellico Plains High School, Sequoyah High School, Vonore Elementary School, Madisonville Middle School, Vonore Middle School, and Sweetwater High School.  Nurse practitioners staff these clinics on a rotating schedule five-days per week. Chota partners with the Monroe County Board of Education to provide four part-time nurse practitioners and 11 school nurses.

Last year, nurses performed 50,465 services, seeing students with ailments ranging from stomach and headaches to toothaches, wounds and abrasions. Clinics also help monitor chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes, perform school entrance and sports physicals, well-child examinations and administer over-the-counter medications.

In addition, Chota received a planning grant from the state to develop a comprehensive diabetes prevention and education program.  These funds will be used to plan and implement a set of new nutritional and student support activities within one or two pilot schools.  

Beginning with the 2008/2009 school year, Chota will also provide an increasing set of worksite healthcare options for faculty, staff and their families. Services will include the full scope of primary healthcare, including health maintenance, allergy shots, physicals, monitoring of chronic conditions and lab work.

Chota Community Health Services is a not-for-profit corporation organized to provide affordable, quality healthcare to all residents of Monroe County, regardless of economic status or insurance coverage. In addition to school-based clinics, Chota has offices in Vonore and Tellico Plains.