[00:00:02] **Announcer:**
It’s time to get in the loop with LPS…

[00:00:24] **Announcer:**
Let’s send you to longtime Director of Communications and your host, Dallas Ackerman.

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## **INTRODUCTION**

[00:00:35] **Dallas:**
We welcome everyone back to *In the Loop with LPS*. Hard to believe we are heading into November and with that comes the cold and flu season. We are joined by none other than **Kathy Ellermeier**, longtime LPS Director of Health Services.
Kathy, thanks for joining us on short notice. How are you today?

[00:01:15] **Kathy Ellermeier:**
I’m doing great, Dallas — thank you! Yes, thanks for the short notice, but I’m ready to talk.

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## **LOOKING BACK AT HER START IN LPS**

[00:01:23] **Dallas:**
We’ve known each other a long time — back to our days at Liberty High School: you in the nurse’s office, me across the hall in the broadcast studio.

[00:01:41] **Kathy:**
I know — where did the years go? Those were fun days. Still fun — but 18 years later, here we are, carrying on one day at a time.

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## **HER HEALTH SERVICES JOURNEY**

[00:02:02] **Dallas:**
How long have you been Director of Health Services?

[00:02:02] **Kathy:**
This is my **18th year** — halfway through year 18.

[00:02:29] **Dallas:**
Before we dive into flu season and health updates, tell us about your journey. Were you interested in this field young?

[00:02:47] **Kathy:**
I was always interested in **wellness**. My first degree was in **exercise physiology**. I loved wellness work — but then I realized nursing would be a wonderful, challenging career.

My mom was a nurse too. So, I became a nurse many years ago — decades now!

I started as a **neuro nurse** in acute care. Later I earned my master’s in nursing and taught at Rockhurst University and Research College of Nursing. I loved teaching.

Then my journey brought me to Liberty Public Schools.
With three young kids at the time, and having lived north of the river for 35 years, Liberty was home. My kids grew up in this district.

When they were ages 5, 7, and 9, I began working in our school nurse offices and quickly fell in love with **school nursing**.

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## **WHAT MAKES SCHOOL NURSING DIFFERENT**

[00:04:43] **Kathy:**
School nursing is truly an **advanced practice role**. Nurses are alone in their clinics — no crash cart, no ambulance team down the hall, no x-ray department.

They use critical thinking **every single day** to decide:

* Is this an emergency?
* Does this child need to go home?
* Should this student return to class?
* Does this require a doctor’s care?

At the time I started, LPS **did not have** a director-level nurse leader. Some districts still don’t.
But for more than **30 years**, Liberty Public Schools has had a **nurse in every building** — which is a huge investment in student health and safety.

I became LPS’s **first-ever Director of Health Services** 18 years ago, and we’ve grown significantly since then.

Today we have a department of **42 staff**, including

* 26 registered nurses
* 13 health aides

They are phenomenal, and many have been with us since I began.

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## **THE TEAM’S EXPERTISE**

[00:07:37] **Dallas:**
Talk about the range of experience your nurses bring.

[00:07:37] **Kathy:**
It’s incredible. We have nurses with backgrounds in:

* Pediatrics
* Obstetrics
* ICU & critical care
* Neonatal intensive care
* Children’s Mercy Hospital
* Emergency and acute care

Their collective expertise allows us to support students with **high-level medical needs**, including students who require complex procedures to remain safely in school.

We rely fully on our **clinical judgement**, because we don't have hospital resources onsite — and our nurses excel at it.

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## **LEADERSHIP & THE SAW AWARD**

[00:11:24] **Dallas:**
A couple years ago, you received the “SAW” award — Service Above the Rest — nominated by your ENTIRE nursing team. What does that mean to you?

[00:12:15] **Kathy:**
It meant everything — especially because it happened during the **pandemic**, when we were completely exhausted.
That award felt like a tribute to our **entire team**, not me alone.

As for my leadership style:
I’m a **servant leader**.
That means collaborating, linking arms, supporting staff so THEY can succeed.

Our nurses are performing delicate procedures, making tough calls, caring for students daily. My job is to equip them, guide them, know them, and care for them as whole people.

I’m grateful every day for them — and for my assistant director, **Chris Redmond**, who shares that leadership philosophy.

---

## **REFLECTING ON THE PANDEMIC**

[00:15:10] **Dallas:**
I remember you once said, “Dallas, I hope you and I never have to deal with a pandemic.”
And then… Covid happened. What was it like leading during that time?

[00:16:06] **Kathy:**
It was heavy. Very heavy.
But we were **never alone**.

Our leadership team — Dr. Tucker, the Board, district cabinet, operations, communications — everyone locked arms and moved together.

We faced constant change: CDC updates multiple times a day, new research, shifting guidance — but we stayed united and followed **health-based, evidence-based practices** consistently.

That unity carried us through.

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## **CURRENT HEALTH UPDATE – FLU, RSV & COVID**

[00:20:21] **Dallas:**
Let’s get to the present. We’re entering cold and flu season. What are you seeing?

[00:21:03] **Kathy:**
Yes — we are officially in it.

We partner closely with:

* **Clay County Public Health Center**
* **Kansas City, Missouri Health Department**

We are seeing:

* **Early influenza cases**
* Expected seasonal **RSV**
* Ongoing, manageable levels of **Covid**, which health experts anticipate will now behave similarly to seasonal flu — mutating annually and cycling seasonally

The biggest months are **November through February**.
Now is the time to prepare.

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## **HOW TO STAY HEALTHY**

[00:23:10] **Kathy:**
Prevention matters:

* Get your **flu shot**
* Stay **current on Covid boosters**
* Wash hands
* Hydrate
* Rest
* Eat well

You need about **two weeks** after vaccination to build antibodies — so the sooner the better, but it’s NEVER too late.

I received my flu AND Covid shots last week, both on the same day — no issues at all. (Just like the Travis Kelce commercial says!)

Vaccines are easy to schedule at:

* Hy-Vee
* CVS
* Walgreens
* Clay County Public Health Center

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## **THE FENTANYL & OPIOID CRISIS**

[00:26:04] **Dallas:**
We’ve been having important conversations about fentanyl and opioids. What do families need to know?

[00:26:53] **Kathy:**
This is extremely serious — and some may not realize the scope.

Across the nation, and here in **Clay County**, young people are obtaining pills like:

* Percocet
* Xanax
* Adderall

through **Snapchat or other social media**, from **strangers**, believing they are “safe.”

But many of these pills contain **fentanyl** — sometimes enough to kill in just **2–3 grains** (like grains of table salt).

These are **accidental poisonings**, and families across the country — hundreds of thousands — have lost children because of a single pill.

We have not had a school-day incident in LPS, but we **have** seen tragedies in the Northland community.

We must be proactive.
We can’t wait for a crisis to react.

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## **DISTRICT RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES**

[00:30:08] **Kathy:**
We now have **fentanyl and overdose prevention resources** on our district website:

**LPS.org → For Families → Safety & Security → Fentanyl & Drug Overdose Resources**

These include:

* Parent guides
* Videos
* Warning signs
* Prevention tips
* Talking points

Parents should talk with children **early and often** — even elementary-aged kids can learn:
“You never take a pill from anyone except a parent or pharmacist.”

This is life-saving education.

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## **WRAPPING UP**

[00:32:28] **Dallas:**
We’ll continue this conversation — it deserves its own series. But for now, thank you for your leadership, your time, and all you do.

[00:32:47] **Kathy:**
Thank you, Dallas. And yes — families, please reach out anytime.
Our Health Services contact information is on the LPS website. Your school nurses are your best partners. And remember — wash your hands!

[00:33:49] **Announcer:**
Thanks for listening to *In the Loop with LPS*. Visit lps53.org for more information.