Emergency response bags rolled out for Henderson County school nurses

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (November 20, 2024) – New response bags filled with essential first-aid tools are now available to school nurses in Henderson County’s public and charter schools, enhancing their ability to handle emergencies.

Each backpack contains first-aid supplies, an automated external defibrillator (AED), EpiPens, NARCAN, and Stop the Bleed kits. With these kits, school nurses are better equipped for a wide range of emergency situations.

“There have been situations where nurses needed different supplies and they weren’t available, so they had to think on their feet,” said Victoria Cortes, Henderson County Emergency Management Planner and Preparedness Coordinator. “All our nurses will have these kits. They will be prepared and be able to respond to any kind of situation they encounter.”

A school nurse is assigned to each public and charter school in Henderson County. In the past, each school nurse had different supplies stored in different places. Now, each school will have the same response bag. This standard setup will also help backup nurses find what they need when they cover another school.

“These bags will help us streamline our response by having the same tools located in the same bag in every school, said Melanie McMurray, a school nurse team lead. “We now have an even greater ability to respond rapidly and efficiently to any situation that may arise.”

The response bags are part of a larger effort by school nurses to make schools safer.

“The school nurse safety team has been working the last couple of years to streamline our response to emergencies that may happen in the school environment,” McMurray said. “We’ve attended school safety conferences with the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools, completed numerous hours of safety trainings and participated in a Stop the Bleed training session.”

This project was possible thanks to a partnership between the Henderson County Department of Public Health, Henderson County Public Schools and Henderson County Emergency Management. Funding came from an ARPA grant provided by the Foothills Health District.