Greetings from the Nurse

This is my 20th year in the SFUSD and my third year at the Wellness Nurse at GWHS. A little about my background: my first three years were spent working at elementary schools, i.e. Revere and GW Carver. After that, I worked in middle schools including Burbank, Gloria R. Davis, Giannini, Hoover and Marina. Currently, I'm at GWHS Tuesdays through Fridays. In addition to working at GWHS, I'm the "coach" to new SFUSD nurses. Before working at the SFUSD, I worked in public and home health, taught nursing at Laney College, and worked in Thailand providing services to Cambodian refugees. I have two children: they're now 16 and 20 years old.

Among my goals...
...are helping your teens learn about their bodies, referring them to appropriate health services, and teaching them about self-care skills. It's been a wonderful opportunity, helping your children, who are emerging young adults, with their healthcare and health education needs.

Contact Info
I'm at the Wellness Center, Room 121, Tuesdays-Fridays. You can reach me by phone at 750-8521 x 3407, or by email at BoyerL@sfusd.edu.

Websites for parents/caregivers
This is a very challenging time for parents/caregivers, learning to provide your teens with some measure of independence but knowing that they still need your support and guidance. Here are some useful websites for parents:

Seasonal and Swine (H1N1) Flu Facts: http://www.sfcdcp.org/flufactsmain.html
Alcohol (from excellent publication): http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/MakeADiff_HTML/makediff.htm#TakingAction
General Info: http://www.parentingteensonline.com/

Parenting Question of the Month?
If there's sufficient interest, I'll try out a "question/s of the month" column and respond to an emailed question from a parent, in the PTSA e-newsletter. (Sorry, no personal responses due to time constraints.) Of course, all names will be withheld to provide confidentiality.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Ms. Boyer-Chu, Wellness Center Nurse