The ESS Medical Unit

The Elizabeth Seton School Medical Unit is a support service that focuses on the promotion, protection and maintenance of optimal health of the clients through the Comprehensive Coordinated School Health Program (CCSHP). All strategies, activities and services offered are designed to promote human physical, emotional and social development as well as healthy school environment. The Medical Unit has implemented various programs and activities, with foremost objective to:

1. Promote health by:

   a. providing annual medical examination  to thoroughly assess the health
       status of the students and employees
   b. providing health education through information campaign to the Seton
       Community whenever necessary
   c. providing health counseling to consulting clients
   d. offering annual vaccinations to the Seton community to help prevent
       illness

2. Provide primary care treatment to alleviate presenting signs and symptoms
    during client’s consultation and / or confinement.

3. Respond to emergency cases within 15 minutes from the time of notification
    and/or ensure hospital referral of critical cases within one hour after medical
    assessment of the school physician and/or attending nurse.

4. Ensure immediate isolation of all employees and students identified with
    communicable diseases as diagnosed by the school physician.

5. Safeguard and maintain school health records and data at all times which
    shall be utilized for medical updates and improvement of medical services.

Schedule of Operations:

The Medical Clinic serves its clients daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. The Medical team composes of the full-time physician, nurses, part-time dentist and a unit assistant.

      Download:

      Unit Program Flowchart.pdf 

Medical Unit Programs:

A. HEALTH SERVICES 

Health Services are services provided for students to appraise, protect, and promote health. Qualified professionals such as physicians, nurses, dentists, health educators, and other allied health personnel provide these services to:

• Ensure access or referral to primary health care services or both,
• Foster appropriate use of primary health care services,
• Prevent and control communicable disease and other health problems,
• Provide emergency care for illness or injury,
• Promote and provide optimum sanitary conditions for a safe school facility
  and school environment, and
• Provide educational and counseling opportunities for promoting and
   maintaining individual, family, and community health. 

Research shows that children learn better and experience school success more readily if their health needs are addressed.   To achieve high standards, to improve test scores, to increase attendance, to have all students engaged in learning, our unit shall address students’ needs through various health programs and/ or through an effective referral system to the community.

ASSESSMENT

This is a process to determine the health condition or the nature and extent of injury or disease on a person through the following programs:

1. ANNUAL MEDICAL AND DENTAL EXAMINATION

In formulating hypotheses for most clinical and dental disorders, the medical or dental examination is of most value in corroborating the findings from the history.  The examiner can correctly give the diagnosis through comprehensive examination.  The annual medical and dental examination aims to:

• effectively assess and monitor the health status of all students annually
• determine the need for medical and dental intervention 

Students from all levels will undergo annual physical and dental screening. All High School female students will undergo breast examination.  Examinations are conducted within the calendar year.

Staff Wellness Program

This program is designed to maintain and improve the health and well-being of school personnel who serve as role models for students.  This programs aims to:

• effectively assess and monitor the health status of all faculty and staff yearly
• identify various health problems and determine the need for therapeutic
   intervention

Primary Care

First Aid

Initial treatment is given to all sick or injured patients to alleviate the symptoms or complaints

Consultation and Confinement

The Medical Unit ensures that all patients who visit for medical evaluation are given due attention and management.  This program aims to:

• Assess the health status of the all consulting students
• Provide primary care treatment  to alleviate presenting symptoms
  during consultation and/or confinement
• Ensure the security and safety of all sick patients as they leave the clinic

Preventive Medicine

Vaccination Program

The Vaccination Program aims to:

1. Offer annual vaccinations to the Seton community to help prevent illness
2. Promote the importance of vaccination in reducing the risk of epidemics
    through information bulletins, which is distributed yearly or as needed.
3. Raise supplemental fund for the unit’s continual improvement of services

This is a voluntary undertaking.  Vaccines are offered to the students, employees and their relatives. Initial vaccinations start in July while catch-up immunizations are scheduled within the calendar year. Vaccines are sold at very reasonable prices.  Proceeds from this program are used to upgrade the medical facilities and health services.

Pre-Participatory Examination

This type of Preventive program is essential to classify participants qualified to engage in strenuous physical activities.  Clearance is given to meet the following objectives:
 
• To detect any medical or musculoskeletal conditions that may predispose to
   injury or illness during the competition
• To determine potentially life-threatening or disabling medical or
   musculoskeletal conditions that may limit the delegate’s safe participation
• To meet legal  and insurance requirements
• To assess fitness level for specific activities
• To determine the general health of the delegate at least one week before
   his/her actual participation

Clearance is the process by which the health and fitness of a student-athlete is evaluated by the physician to determine whether or not it is reasonably safe for the student-athlete to participate in strenuous activities.

All Students who will compete or participate in any official off-campus activities are covered by this program.  This is implemented year-round.

PE Exemption

This type of preventive program is specific for the disqualification of students with physical handicap to participate in PE Class.  This program aims to screen consulting students who are not fit to participate in Physical Education (PE) class because of ailment or physical handicap.

The student with disability or handicap presents the following documents to the physician:

a. Letter  of request
b. Medical Certificate
c. Diagnostic Examination results

Clearance from Communicable Diseases

This preventive program is concerned with the different information and measures for avoiding or preventing all possible communicable diseases that the school age individuals may contract and the prevention of possible serious defects from diseases.  It also ensures the protection of the healthy population as we arrest the early phase of disease or if not eliminate the source of ailment through the exclusion form school of students and employees who are sick and exposed to communicable diseases.

Referral Services

Referral is the act of transferring an individual to fully qualified professionals who can provide more appropriate specialized assistance or services.

There are three types of Referrals:  Emergency Referral, Inter-Unit Referral and Off-Campus Referral

Emergency Referral is the referral of any sudden and serious problem requiring medical attention within minutes to several hours.

Inter-Unit Referral is done when the patient shows other disturbances aside from the medical complaint or condition he has consulted. Other services that are used as sources of assistance are teachers, health and medical staff, administrators, and the guidance personnel.

Cases, which are non-emergency in nature but need further evaluation and assessment, are referred to a specialist  who can provide more appropriate specialized assistance not available within the school is called Off-campus Referral.

Health Education

This program is concerned with the different information and measures for avoiding or preventing all possible communicable diseases that the school age individuals may contract and the prevention of possible serious defects from diseases.  It also ensures the protection of the healthy population as we arrest the early phase of disease or if not eliminate the source of ailment through health education.