Nurse’s Notes September 2026

I’ve been your Public Health Nurse for over 4 years now, and I find I better understand what my Granny used to say: the days go slowly, but the years fly by! It’s hard to believe that the fall is upon us and it’s back to school time already. I suggested last month to be sure all of your child(ren)’s health records and physicals are up to dates and provided to the school. Below is a link to the Ma. DPH site with very helpful hints on keeping your child(ren) safe during the school year. During the early days of September, we still experience very warm days, so be sure your child has plenty of fluids and healthy proteins in their lunches so as to keep them hydrated and to nourish their hard-working brains. If your child has allergies, particularly food allergies, be sure the school staff are aware of the allergy and that your child has an epi-pen in the school nurse’s office.

When you meet with school staff and the school nurse, ask what services and medications are allowed in that office and be sure you have consents provided to the nurse to allow medication administration if your child gets sick during the school day. Please be sure you have a plan in place for when your child becomes sick. The best way to protect from getting sick is proper hand hygiene. And the best way to perform hand hygiene is with soap and water, and singing the happy birthday song so you know you’ve washed your hands for the correct amount of time!! I know I say this every year, but please, if your child is sick, particularly with a fever, please keep them home. It’s the most effective way to break the chain of infection, protect vulnerable children and protect your child from becoming re-infected. Now, here’s that link

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/preparing-for-return-to-school 

The Healthy Living Program for September’s presentation is on childhood diseases and immunizations.
There has been a lot of discussion in our leadership, media and on social platforms around the topic of childhood vaccines. As your Public Health Nurse, I can provide access to the science, research and evidence as it relates to vaccines, their safety and their efficacy. September’s recording of ‘Healthy Living’ will discuss childhood vaccines and will air on our local cable channel 98 on September 10th, 2026. You can also access information from the DPH using the link below

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/school-immunizations 

Relating to Infectious Disease, we are continuing to see an increase in the number of Lyme disease cases reports for the town of Rehoboth. The best protection from tick bites is wearing long sleeved shirts, long legged pants with socks pulled up over them and closed shoes when you are out in your garden or in grassy areas. It is recommended that one perform a full body check and shower as soon as possible after being outside. If you find a tick attached to your skin, you may remove it by pulling on it as close to the skin as you can so that the whole tick in removed. If you notice a rash or the famous ‘bull’s eye’ appearance around where you found the tick, contact your PCP as soon as possible for recommendations on treatment. Indeed, you should contact your PCP for any incidence of an imbedded tick for discussion of treatment.

We are also watching mosquito activity and new cases of positive EEE and West Nile Disease mosquito samples in neighboring towns. As of this writing we have 2 positive cases of human West Nile Virus infection. One of the best ways of avoiding mosquito bites is to avoid being outdoors during their peak feeding hours: around dawn and dusk. Be sure to dump out any water which may have accumulated in empty containers around your home to decrease the mosquito breeding ground options and use approved mosquito repellant if you need to be outdoors during feeding hours. Below is a link to arbovirus update site at the DPH.
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-arbovirus-update 

A reminder that the vaccine clinics will be held on September 23rd, 30th and October 7th between 9am-2pm at 27 Francis Farm Rd. in the Arcade building

The QR code is available on the town website under the Public Health Nurse’s tab. There you’ll also find information on the vaccines available. If you have trouble registering with the QR code, please call me between 8am-11am, Monday-Thursday and I can help you with the process.

Looking to October, during the Healthy Living presentation, we will be chatting with Athena Lavoie from Butlers Hospital about the various dementias and the current treatments available for these brain diseases.

Stay tuned for more details in October.
In the meantime,
Be safe, be kind, be healthy,
Sincerely,
Geri
Geri Hamel, RN MSN
Rehoboth Public Health Nurse
ghamel@rehobothma.gov 
508-252-5947 ext. 3127