Health Services Department
Hi! Welcome to the Health Services Department at Minuteman. Our mission and philosophy is to assist all students in being healthy, successful adults. We further help our teens in becoming contributing members of society.

We have a full time nurse on duty every day. This enables us to monitor all of our students, but particularly those with specific health concerns. The familiarity of the nurses with our Minuteman families is particularly special. This is often a comfort for parents because, many times, this is the family's first experience of having their high school age children traveling to a different community to attend school.

School nursing has changed dramatically in recent years. We have grown into an essential aspect of the educational system. Our children need to feel well and be well to learn at their best level. To ensure the health of our students, we interface with parents, teachers, guidance counselors, social worker and our school psychologist on an ongoing basis. Most of all we speak with the kids themselves. We continually provide health education to the students, teachers and families.

Lindy Ryan, the Head Nurse, has become an expert in working with ADD/ADHD students. Workshops are offered through the Evening Adult Education program. These programs assist parents, educators and others to have a better understanding of the neurophysiology and behaviory of ADD kids. One of the primary focuses is learning how each of us can help youngsters with ADD be successful.

Each day we handle first aid emergencies, routine illnesses and sometimes unusual concerns that occur during every school day. We often are the first line of defense for students and parents. In addition, we can offer consistent medical service for our Minuteman families as medical insurance programs change frequently. Promoting a healthy lifestyle is incorporated into our care.

The Health Services Department supports the Department of Public Health’s State Regulations including mandated immunizations. Lu Conway, R.N., ensures that every student has met these requirements and if not, she assists them in doing so. We also follow the M.I.A.A. rules and regulations for all the sport teams. Our School Doctor is available several times throughout the year to help us fulfill these requirements for our athletes. This service is free of charge to all students. The Doctor also lends his expertise by being a resource for us, helping to keep pace in today’s world with our health policies.

The Nurses are involved in school-wide programs. Lindy Ryan is the advisor for Students Against Destructive Decisions. The members of S.A.D.D. participate in different projects to promote safe choices. Red Ribbons are distributed to all cars in the parking lot during the holiday season. This serves as a reminder not to drink and drive. Our community service project assists needy families in our neighborhoods. We collect old eyeglasses that are donated to either Habitat for Humanity or Lens Crafters who refurbish them, and the money raised is then used to construct low-income private homes. We continue with S.A.D.D. messages throughout the prom and graduation seasons through various visible projects.

Both Nurses are Certified Smoking Cessation instructors. These classes are offered on an ongoing basis, either through group or individual sessions. Smoke-Enders is an educational course focused on the hazards of smoking. This program has been in effect since 1994 and is offered by the nurses in a one or two hour program two days a month.

Nurse 411 is a “health tip” Newsletter that is written and published by Lindy Ryan and Claire Smith. It has been published every month since 1994. Information on smoking and nutrition is routinely mentioned, along with a variety of other practical and innovative health concerns. Special Edition Newsletters are also published during the holidays and at graduation as an extra avenue for awareness.

The Nurses participate in the Safety, Multicultural, Emergency Response Committees and the Crisis and Support Teams that are in place at Minuteman. We believe that it is important to be involved on a school wide basis.

Feel free to call us for any current or future concern about your child at Minuteman. We believe healthy children learn better. We can be reached at the school number: 781-861-6500 Lindy Ryan, ext 287, Lu Conway, ext 386, Claire Murphy, ext 386.