Congratulations to Mount Vernon Community School Nurse Lisa Clausen, RN, recipient of the Flora Krause Casey Public Health Award for the significant impact her work has had on the health and well-being of ACPS students, their families and the greater Alexandria community.
Clausen has been a well-respected member of our school nurse team for more than 20 years. She helped to move ACPS towards actively promoting health and wellness within our schools for both staff and our students.
“Ms. Clausen is one of those unique individuals who is not only an outstanding employee, but also a community champion who uses her expertise to develop a stronger, healthier community,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Lois F. Berlin.
Clausen was part of a team of nurses whose work contributed to the incorporation of the health and wellness goal in the ACPS 2020 Strategic Plan. Her knowledgeable input not only informed our student wellness policy, but recognized the need for an employee wellness program. Clausen successfully completed the Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Program and was awarded the Enduring Change mini-grant that supplied the funding to start the ACPS employee wellness program now known as ACPS Finding Fit. Clausen’ efforts with the employee wellness team lead to ACPS receiving an Alexandria Healthy Workplace Award in 2015.
“Words cannot begin to express the role that Ms. Clause plays in the well-being of our Mount Vernon Community School students. She goes above and beyond coordinating wellness activities such as dental service drives, walk to school days, preventative health services, community outreach, and health care for our students and staff. Ms. Clausen is one of our key staff members. We are proud of this accomplishment. Well deserved!” said Mount Vernon Community School Principal Liza Burrell-Alana.
Clausen’s contributions to the health and welfare of Alexandria residents extends well beyond our schools into the Alexandria community. She partners with many health-related organizations in Alexandria to improve the overall health of the residents of our city especially those in vulnerable populations.
Her partnerships include a strong relationship with Neighborhood Health to ensure all of her students and families have access to medical care and dental services via the WOW bus. She has also partnered with the Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee to bring Bike Rodeos to her school. This work has evolved into the development of ACPS’s current Bicycles in the School or BITS program, which has served nearly 1.000 students this year.
The Flora Krause Casey Public Health Award recognizes individuals who have furthered the health of the Alexandria community. The award is given in honor of Flora Krause Casey, whose life work improved the health of Alexandria’s most needy and vulnerable residents. The Alexandria Public Health Advisory Commission and Alexandria Health Department sponsor this award annually.
Clausen will be recognized in a ceremony at City Hall this spring.