BPS and BlueCross BlueShield Work to Keep Students Disease Free

With the recent deaths of 2 Buffalo Public School students due to the H1N1 flu virus, the District is taking extra measures to protect students and teachers through the distribution of 6,500 personal spray sanitizers for teachers in the District.  More than 1,500 are being distributed now to staff that are teaching in the Extended Learning Opportunities program. The remaining 5,000 sanitizers, which are about the size of a yellow highlighter and are small enough to fit in your pocket, will be distributed to teachers in the fall.

Superintendent James Williams also wishes to reinforce strict policies concerning parents who send sick students to the District's Extended Learning Opportunities Program.

"The best way to fight the spread of H1N1 is to maintain strong personal hygiene by washing your hands as often as possible and using hand sanitizers.  We thank Blue Cross Blue Shield for providing pocket-sized sanitizers for teachers to keep classrooms disease free.  These smaller sanitizers are a big help in stopping the spread of communicable diseases in our community," said Superintendent Dr. James A. Williams.

"Like many illnesses, H1N1 does not discriminate. We're all vulnerable, and we must protect each other, and ourselves but we must also balance that need with thoughtful, proven ways of doing it, " said Jay I. Pomerantz, MD, Chief Medical Officer/Senior Vice President of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York.  "As the health insurer of the Buffalo Public Schools, BlueCross BlueShield wants our students, teachers and administrators to be safe. It's our hope that this easy, safe and effective way to fight the H1N1 virus will reduce its spread, and by doing so, it might help to prevent our schools from ever losing another student to this illness." 

The District's Extended Learning Opportunities program begins July 6^th and school officials are once again stressing the importance for parents to keep sick children home in order to stop the spread of all communicable diseases. 

Parents are encouraged not to send sick children to any summer activity program including those operated by the Buffalo Public School District for seven days from the initial onset of symptoms and 24 hours after being symptom-free.  School principals have the authority to permanently exclude students from summer programs who return to school prior to the required exclusion period or who repeatedly develop symptoms after returning.

"This is a firm and stern warning to parents: keep sick children at home and do not under any circumstances send a sick child to our Extended Learning Opportunities Program," Williams said.  "Sending a sick student to school not only jeopardizes your own child's health, but it increases the risk of healthy children acquiring a potentially deadly disease.  That is not fair to your own child and certainly not fair to the families of healthy children." 

The partnership between the B.P.S. and Kaleida Health will allow Western New York's largest health care provider to allow a physician to serve as the new Medical Director for the Buffalo Public School District.  The new Buffalo Public Schools Medical Director will serve as an important health care advisor for Superintendent Dr. James A. Williams and the Board of Education. The physician will provide medical guidance concerning health care policy for 

Buffalo Public Schools and collaborate with health care agencies. The District is currently working with Kaleida Health on the selection of the Medical Director who is expected to be in place by the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year.

"We are thrilled that Kaleida Health is collaborating with the Buffalo Public School District to provide a physician who will not only bring a wealth of medical knowledge to our schools, but strengthen our team of nurses and health care professionals who are a part of our Health Related Services department.  I look forward to having another important medical resource on our team who can help our District keep schools and classrooms disease free," said Buffalo Public Schools Health Related Services Director Assunta Ventresca.