President's Message:

          Greetings everyone and welcome back to a new school year. We are embarking on a school year that is unique in so many ways. We have had to learn an entirely new language, a pandemic language with terms including, “distance learning”, “hybrid learning”, “contact tracing”, “close contact”, “quarantine”, “isolation”, and “PPE”.  School nurses are in the limelight. I know we are all up for the challenge to advocate for the health and safety of our students, staff, families and communities. Over the summer, CSNO has been working diligently to provide quality resources for members to use in your health offices and schools. Please look at what is available on our newly remodeled website.

          This year, our trainings and meetings will be held on a virtual Zoom platform. This means we can reach our members in Imperial County as well as everyone in San Diego County. By presenting on a virtual platform we can participate from the comfort of our homes (maybe, maybe not, with a refreshment, in our lounging wear), instead of fighting the rush hour traffic to get to a 4:00pm conference.  I urge you all to participate in our continuing education offerings this year.

          Members are welcomed to join our San Diego-Imperial Section board meetings. The first one of the school year will be Wednesday, September 16th from 4-6pm. If you're interested in attending, the Zoom link can be found on our calendar page.

          This Fall all six sections of CSNO were planning individual local conferences on COVID-19.  Instead, we decided to join forces and have one state virtual conference that would bring us all together to start off the new year. Our very own San Diego Dr. Howard Taras will be presenting. This is coming up on Monday, September 14th. The information is below; again please join us.
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          I am honored to be in the role of president of the San Diego-Imperial section of CSNO. These times are like none other and in the past six months I have learned more about the importance of working together as a team, networking with our colleagues, sharing information, sharing knowledge and supporting and helping one another. There is no one person who can do it all. My hope is that you all know that even though you may be alone in your school(s), sometimes the only nurse in a school district, you have a supportive network of professional, experienced colleagues that are ready to help you. Please engage in our section this year and in the coming years. The students and school staff of San Diego and Imperial counties need us more than ever. They need us to advocate for them, protect them, and support them. Let’s be there for one another in the coming school year to successfully navigate this pandemic together.

          Please remember to take care of yourself and stay healthy!

Corinne McCarthy, RN, MSN