A Common Sense Approach to Preventing Illness

School principals have learned a simple lesson: children with the highest attendance rates do the best in school. And the easiest way to keep children in school is to keep them healthy. “If kids are here, it’s pretty logical that they’re going to learn more,” said Greg Fruhwirth, principal of Wray Elementary School in northeastern Colorado.

Fruhwirth said colds, flu and stomach ailments used to be rampant only in winter months. But, in recent years, he has found that infections can race from classroom to classroom any time of the year. In rural parts of Colorado, it’s not uncommon for entire schools to have to close for days at a time because so many students and staff are sick.

Thanks to the Colorado 5 Million Lives Campaign, Fruhwirth is getting help in the war against germs at his school in this close-knit ranching community. Nicole Salmans, RN, the quality manager and nursing director at Wray Community Hospital, reached out to local schools and offered to place hand sanitizers in all the classrooms. She believes this seemingly small, common-sense step will make a big difference. “You’re going to prevent a wide range of diseases, and children won’t be taking illnesses home to their families,” said Salmans. “It affects everybody in our community, not just the children.”

Drug-resistant staph infections—known as MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)—have been on the rise nationally with highly publicized cases of MRSA traveling among teammates on football squads and children in schools. But Salmans knows that there is an ultra-simple way to keep people healthy. “Washing your hands is the best thing you can do to prevent any kind of illness,” she said.