East Greenbush Central School District Health Services follows a set of board-approved protocols regarding all first aid administered.
Notification of Injury: Abrasions, Cuts or Puncture Wounds
- If a child was seen in the school health office for an injury that caused an opening in their skin, or wound a parent/guardian will be notified.
- The wound will be cleaned and usually covered with a dry bandage (bandaid or gauze).
- Openings in the skin such as abrasions (scrapes) or cuts need to be kept clean, dry, and covered until the skin is healed to keep the wound from becoming infected. Remind your child to wash their hands before or after touching the wound. The bandaid or gauze should be changed every day and more often if it becomes wet or dirty. It is normal for the wound to drain clear yellow or pink liquid in the beginning and to be sore when touched.
- When changing the bandage it is important to look at the wound every day for signs of infection such as:
- Increasing redness of the skin around the wound
- Swelling of the area
- Liquid coming from the wound that is making the bandage very wet, is thick, turns green, or dark yellow, and/or smells bad
- Pain at the wound or in the part of the body where the wound is located
- Skin is very warm around the wound
- If you see any of the above signs, or your child has a fever, call your doctor or health care provider!
- A wound infection may not always start right away, and some infections may be from germs (bacteria) that can cause very serious illness. It is VERYimportant to call your doctor or health care provider right away if you see any of the following in your child:
- Fever (temperature at or over 101° on the thermometer) and/or chills
- Pain, swelling, redness and warmth where the injury occurred which gets bad very quickly
- Liquid coming from the wound that is making the bandage very wet, is thick, turns green, or dark yellow, and/or smells bad.
- Complains of stomach pain, decreased appetite, nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness, light headed and/or headache
- Confusion and/or weakness, or sleeping a lot
- Rash anywhere on body
Please call the Columbia High School Health Office at 207-2070 if you have any questions or concerns.