The nurses
down the hall
CARLENE LOONEY AND SARAH BARNES
By Kate Barcellos
very day, when parents go to
work, a small fleet of agents steps
in to guard the lives of every child
in Rutland County.
They are the school nurses, and at
Rutland Intermediate and Rutland
Middle School, they are Carlene
Looney and Sarah Barnes.
“It’s all about keeping these kids on
a level playing field,” Looney said.
“You often get kids who come in and
just want to talk. We serve as moms,
counselors, and nurses all in one.”
Looney said all of the nurses in the
county remain in constant contact,
calling on one another for advice and
support as they treat ailments, heal
wounds, and protect the youngest
generations from the elements — and
themselves — while they learn.
“All of the nurses know each other,”
Looney said. “It’s all networking. We
all work together.”
Looney and Barnes arrived at the
same time three years ago, and today
see anywhere between 50 and 100
cases of everything from scraped
knees to seizures, administer epi-pens
E
and insulin, and dispense various
medications for any number of
ailments.
“We see a little bit of everything,
especially in younger kids,” Looney
said. “Kids will come in with anything
from diabetes to asthma, migraines and
neurological problems.”
After graduating from Castleton
University’s nursing program, Looney
said she spent around 15 years in family
medicine with Drs. Peter and Lisa
Hogenkamp.
“With public-health nursing, you have
more of an impact on your community
as a whole,” she said.
Three years ago, she joined the ranks
of Rutland County’s school nurses
mainly to be closer to her two children,
a decision she said requires experience,
and total self reliance.
“It’s an autonomous job,” Looney
said. “It’s like developing your own
practice...you have to be able to think
on your feet and work by yourself. In
family practice — you have the doctor
right there. In case of an emergency,
they have us.”
Though their office is immobile
10 • RUTLAND HERALD HOMETOWN HEROES OCTOBER 2018
tending to their students means keeping
immaculate records and following
the students throughout their daily
activities, on field trips, after school,
keeping their fragile systems healthy
every minute of the day.
Looney said they also teach
chronically ill students with Crohns
disease, asthma, allergies and diabetes
how to better manage their health with
diet and exercise, serving as both a
doctor’s office and a health classroom
for very specific needs.
“Diabetics are the most complex
things to manage,” Looney said. “It’s
hard to tease out what are social
anxieties, and lifestyle factors that come
into play. We make sure that families
are working with their specialists, and
have an action plan on-file in school.”
Everyday health also means taking
preventative cautionary measures, like
sending out a preparatory news letter to
all parents making sure their children
are up to date on their immunizations.
“That’s a big part of the back-to-
school,” Looney said. “In order to
enter school, the kids have to be up to
date on DTAP (Diptheria, Tetanus and