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Nursing and Student Health Services

Nursing Services promotes optimal physical, social, and emotional wellness of our school community. Our focus is to enhance the educational process by maximizing and protecting the overall health status of school age youth.

We believe that good health enables all students to benefit from the education experience leading to productive living and a successful future. School nurses actively promote healthy life style choices, strengthen and facilitate the educational process by improving and protecting children’s health status, and are advocates for school age children.

nurse examining student

Helpful Health Information

School-based Health Centers

Denver Health’s School-based Health Centers (SBHC) form a large network of health centers located inside Denver Public School (DPS) campuses that serve any DPS student as well as children enrolled in DPS-affiliated Early Childhood Education programs at no charge to families. They offer medical, mental health, dental, health education and family planning, as well as insurance enrollment and advising services. If you know the location where you want to make an appointment, please call the center directly using the phone number available on our locations page or call the Appointment Center at 303-602-8958.

General

No medications can be given to students without one of the medication forms listed below.

This includes, but is not limited to, medications such as Tylenol® (acetaminophen) and Advil® (ibuprofen).

Student Medication and Treatments at School

Please use the Student Medication/Treatment Request Release Agreement form for general medication and medical treatment orders. This form is not recommended for students needing albuterol for asthma or an EpiPen® for anaphylaxis or emergency medications for seizures. For students requiring rescue medication for asthma, anaphylaxis, or seizures, please use the approved medication order action plans that are provided below.

Student Medication and Treatment Forms

Allergies/Anaphylaxis

The Anaphylaxis Medication Order and Plan is the preferred document for students with severe allergies who may need an EpiPen® at school. If the student requires other medications to treat allergies, such as Benadryl® (Diphenhydramine), please use the general medication form.

Asthma

The asthma medication order and plan is the preferred document for students with asthma.

Seizures

The Seizure Emergency Care Plan and Medication Orders for School and Childcare Settings is the preferred document for students who have seizures who may need emergency medications at school. If the student requires other medications, please use the general medication form.

Immunization Requirements

Colorado law requires all students attending Colorado schools and licensed child cares to be vaccinated against certain diseases unless a medical or non-medical exemption is filed.  For more information about vaccine requirements, resources and exemptions, please visit the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s School Immunization page.

Vaccine exemption forms from the Colorado Department of Public Heath & Environment

How to Get Vaccinations:

  • Find locations offer vaccines to prevent flu and other diseases on this page provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. Check to see if a location offers low or no-cost services.
  • Denver Health’s School-based Health Centers (SBHC)  serve any DPS student  at no charge to families. To schedule a vaccination appointment, call the Appointment Center at 303-436-4949.

If you are having trouble uploading vaccination records into the online registration portal, please contact someone from the Choice & Enrollment office and/or share the vaccination record to your child’s school nurse.

Please contact your school nurse when:

  • You have concerns about upcoming school field trips
  • You have new information regarding student health issues
  • Your student is taking or carrying new medication
  • You have questions or concerns about your student’s health or medical condition
  • You want to know about the process for meal modifications related to diagnosed health conditions.

Specialized Care

DPS School Nurses provide a broad array of services, addressing:

  • Students with chronic conditions
  • Immunization records
  • Student IEP’s, health care plans, and 504’s
  • Medications or treatments for students
  • Students with special needs
  • Medical case management
  • Urgent physical and emotional health needs
  • School staff training
  • Health screenings
  • Infectious diseases
  • Health needs for field trips and summer programs
  • Student injuries or illnesses
  • Student attendance
  • Health and wellness resources
  • Students with vision or hearing issues

Need Help? Contact Us!

720-423-1416

Trouble uploading vaccination records into the online registration portal? The following instructions may assist you: “file names should be kept short and must not include special characters or symbols. The use of these characters can cause errors and you may encounter difficulties uploading the file.” If you continue to have problems uploading documents, please contact someone from the Choice & Enrollment office and/or share the vaccination record to your child’s school nurse.