PUBLIC HEALTH Local RN team receives award

The local team was one of four groups nationwide receiving recognition.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A team of eight local registered nurses won a national award for working with school nurses and bioterrorism/disaster preparedness.
The National Public Health Leadership Development Network, a consortium of organizations represented by academics and practitioners dedicated to building public health leadership, annually recognizes outstanding state leadership projects with the Balderson Leadership Project Award.
Awarded to four projects
This national recognition was awarded to four projects at the annual American Public Health Conference in Washington, D.C. in November.
The team's project is titled "School Nurse Bioterrorism/Disaster Preparedness: An Assessment of Competency and Training Needs." The project evaluated the knowledge, competency level and training needs of school nurses in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
Team members
Team members are: Nancy W. Mosca, Youngstown State University nursing professor and project leader; Diana Colaianni, nursing director, Mahoning County District Board of Health; Linda Ewing, deputy nursing director, Mahoning County District Board of Health; Anita Kramer, school nurse ex-officio, Champion School District; Dixie Morris, director homeland security, Columbiana County Health Department; Nancy Norton, public health nurse coordinator, Trumbull County Health Department; Nancy Swanson, coordinator, Coordinated Action for School Health Coalition of Columbiana County; Patricia Sweeney, visiting assistant professor, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health; and Dorothy Bystrom, ODH school nurse consultant
The local team, as members of the Ohio Public Health Leadership Institute, was nominated for the award by the Ohio Department of Public Health.
Provided statistical analysis
John Hazy, YSU criminal justice assistant professor, provided statistical analysis for the project. Matthew Stefanak, Mahoning County District Board of Health, was the sponsoring health commissioner.
As a result of the team's work, a nationally approved training program taught by preparedness-expert faculty will be provided for school nurses in the Youngstown area Feb. 3.
For more information on the training, contact Mosca at (330) 941-3293 or nwmosca@ysu.edu.