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20 | YOU AT YOUR BEST | NWADG.COM/YOUATYOURBEST MAY - BEST NURSES | SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017 NEW to Nor thwest Arkansas NEW to Nor thwest Arkansas 4 Minute Facelift -No Toxic Chemicals 4 Minute Facelift -No Toxic Chemicals -All Natural Stem Cell -All Natural Stem Cell BECAUSE Beauty SHOULD BE TIMELESS E'clat Day Spa Refresh Indulge Rejuvenate 317 West Poplar St. • Rogers • (479)586-6162 Dr. Tina Merritt of the Allergy and Asthma Clinic Dr. Tina Merritt is board certifi ed by the American Board of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and specializes in both adult and pediatric allergies. She has extensive clinical experience and has published research papers and chapters on topics related to allergic conditions and asthma. She graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and attended medical school at the University of Arkan- sas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. She completed a fellowship in allergy and immunology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Merritt has done research on Al- pha-gal, an allergy to beef/pork and gel- atin related to tick bites, and is part of the Arkansas Alpha-gal Task Force. She is the director of White Cell Support Group, a nonprofi t support group for patients with primary immune defi ciency. Merritt is a noted speaker for asthma and immune de- fi ciency. She participates in the Food Al- lergy Research and Education Walk every year and the National Asthma Screening for the past 17 years. Allergy and Asthma clinic of North- west Arkansas is located at 1900 S. Wal- ton Blvd. in Bentonville. For more infor- mation or to schedule an appointment, contact the clinic at (479) 254-9777, go to their website at allergyasthmaclinicnwa. com or follow them on Facebook at face- book.com/allergynwa. SPECIAL TO NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Tina Merritt, MD School nurses do much more than apply ban- dages to playground scrapes. School nurses conduct vital health screenings and are often the security blanket for students who need special care during school hours. Despite all they do, school nurses are often the unsung heroes within the school community. School nurses certainly tackle their share of fevers, nosebleeds, cuts, and scrapes, but nurses play other pivotal roles as well, call- ing up moms and dads to pick up their sick sons and daughters, overseeing the school's health policies and helping to ensure a safe school environment for students. In addition, the role of the school nurse has changed dra- matically over the years. A school nurse may oversee vaccination schedules. He or she also may arrange for assemblies regarding "change of life" seminars for children about to enter puberty. When there is an epidemic at the school, the nurse is often charged with notifying staff and parents and helping to contain the situation. Apart from all of the tasks in treating "sick" children, nurses also are essential in helping to keep children with life-threatening dis- eases healthy while they are at school. The number of children with serious allergies, diabetes, asthma, and even seizure disorders has increased. According to the American Diabetes Association, roughly 1 in every 400 children and adolescents has diabetes. School nurses may help administer life-sav- ing insulin shots to children who need them. According to Anaphylaxis Canada, 1 in 50 Canadian children has a peanut allergy, and about 1 to 2 percent of these can have severe or life-threatening reactions. School nurses may treat serious allergic reactions or pro- vide a safe place where children with serious allergies can eat lunch. In some cases, school nurses become a medi- ator between home and school. Nurses may indirectly be teaching students as well. Each time the nurse treats a condition, he or she may be educating students on how to avoid that situation in the future. For example, a nurse may impart the importance of eat- ing breakfast to avoid a morning headache or teach youngsters about the benefi ts of stretching before diving into physical educa- tion class. School nurses are often the unsung heroes of a school, wiping away tears when young- sters suffer an injury at school and acting as a reassuring voice when such injuries are painful. -Metro Creative Services School Nurses are Often Unsung Heroes