NJ Schools Required to Supply, Administer Narcan to Counteract Drug Overdose
TRENTON, NJ – Legislation sponsored by two central New Jersey lawmakers that requires schools to maintain a supply of an opioid antidote and to permit the school nurse to administer the antidote to counteract an overdose was signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy.
State Sen. Christoper “Kip” Bateman, R-Somerset, Middlesex, Hunterdon, Mercer, and state Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker, D-16th are co-sponsors of the companion legislation.
The law also allows the board of education in each school district to designate additional employees who may be trained and authorized to administer the antidote in the absence of the nurse.
“When someone is dying from an overdose, every second counts. We shouldn’t waste time waiting for an ambulance to arrive, when a trained employee could save someone’s life immediately,” Bateman said. “Addiction is a disease. We can’t bury our heads in the sand and pretend that this is not affecting kids across New Jersey. We have to be ready to save young lives and that means having Narcan on school grounds at all times.
According to the law, guidelines for schools’ policies regarding Narcan supply and administration will be established by the Department of Education along with the Department of Human Services and appropriate medical experts. In addition, designated employees will receive training on standardized protocols for the administration of opioid antidotes to students or staff members experiencing an overdose.
“Our response to the opioid epidemic in New Jersey must go beyond ‘Just say no,’” Zwicker said. “Having Narcan in schools is one element of a larger comprehensive effort to stem the tide of this enormous public health challenge.”
Drug overdoses are the sixth-leading cause of death in New Jersey, with the rate of fatalities on track to increase in 2018; youth overdoses are also on the rise in New Jersey, according to Bateman..
The law amends the “Overdose Prevention Act” to include schools, school districts, and school nurses among the recipients that may be prescribed the opioid antidote naloxone hydrochloride through a standing order. Commercially available brands of the opioid antidote include Evzio and Narcan.
The revised law requires that the opioid antidotes must be accessible in the school during regular school hours and during school-sponsored functions that take place in the school or on school grounds adjacent to the school building.
Mackey Pendergrast, Superintendent of Morris School District did not return a request from TAPinto Morristown seeking comment.