Phone home

An important part of the beginning of the year is reviewing emergency cards for pertinent health information. It's a process made interesting by the vast array of spelling of some conditions, like "ama" (asthma) and vague phrases like "unknown heart condition." The names of the children are just as entertaining: welcome Destani Unique and Nevaeh Tnes. I try to follow up with as many as I can, but the majority have listed the wrong phone number or just plain don't return my calls. Today, I managed to get a hold of a parent who had listed a nut allergy on the child's emergency card. I started out the call as I do every call: "My name is Erin, I'm the school nurse. Your child is fine and well. I am going through emergency cards and noticed a nut allergy listed... blah blah." I start it out this way so parents know their kids are fine. I just said they are fine, right? Well, today I got [and imagine this being shouted in a very... um... urban accent]: "What?! Did you give Chris a cashew?! Why would you do that?!" She then passed the phone off to a man - despite no man being listed on any of the emergency contacts for this child - who, very dismissively I might add, said no big deal if he eats one, just a little itching will come out of it.

Got to love those parent phone calls.

10/1/10 Edit: Turns out this kid also has asthma and uses an inhaler, two things omitted on his emergency card. He had an asthma attack while I was at another site and the school called his parents to bring his inhaler in. They told them to just "watch him" and call back if it gets worse, and that they were "really busy" and therefore would never ever be able to bring his inhaler in. Great job, aunt and uncle, way to be excellent foster parents.