NJ will provide free naloxone to schools
Move made to prevent more overdose deaths
By: Mary Ann Koruth
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... The lifesaving drug alone, used to prevent overdose deaths from opioid use, is now available at no cost to all New Jersey school districts.
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The joint initiative from the state Education and Human Services departments is an additional measure to protect students and staff in public schools. It is the result of a 2018 law signed by Governor Phil Murphy that requires schools to keep opioid antidotes on hand for a nurse or other trained employees to administer in an emergency.
..... Naloxnone, sometimes called by its initial brand name, Narcan, can reverse an overdose from opioids - including heroin, fetanyl and prescription opioid medications - when given in time, says the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
..... There are two forms of naloxone that anyone can use without medical training or authorization: prefilled nasal spray and injectable, the CDC says.
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School districts may now request free naloxone kits through their county education office. county offices will then submit orders for cases of naloxone through the Nalxone Direct portal and distribute them to the school districts.
..... Each naloxone case contains 12 nasal sprays, or 24 total doses. Students will not have direct access to the cases.
..... Opioid addiction peaked between 1999 and 2010, becoming a national crisis, according to a 2022 research report issued by Congress. In 2016, overdose deaths from synthetic opioid, mainly fentanyl, surpassed deaths from heroin and prescription drugs. Opioids include the illegal drug heroin, fentanyl and prescription pain relievers, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine.
..... The rate of alone administration to people ages 15 to 24 was 7.4% between 2017 and 2024, significantly lower than among older age groups, according to a state dashboard that tracks overdoes and antidote administration. Nationwide, 14% of youths reported misusing prescription opioid, according to the CDC, but many factors put them at high risk for substance abuse.
..... The 2018 New Jersey law requires that school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools serving grades nine through 12 must adopt procedures to maintain and administer "an opioid antidote to any student, school personnel, or other person believed to be experiencing school hours or during on-site school-sponsored events."
..... The Murphy administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment asking why it took over five years to implement this portion of the law.
..... The state Education Department issued guidance on emergency administration of opioids in schools in 2019. Both Democratic and Republican administration have prioritized medical assistance to victims of drug overdoses. In 2013, for instance, Governor Chris Christie signed the Overdose Protection Act.
Medical experts weigh in
..... Medical experts welcomed the measure to provide emergency naloxone kits in schools. "More than ever before, our youths are exposed to extremely potent drugs, such as fentanyl, that can kill almost instantly," said Dr. Eric Alcera, vice president and chief medical officer of Hackensack Meridian Carrier Clinic.
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"Naloxone has proven to save lives, and given the epidemic we now face of stronger and more lethal drugs accessible to our children, it makes sense to have this antidote available to students in the event of a life-threatening emergency at school," he said.
..... Naloxone is just one toll to address the crisis, Alcera said. "We must encourage our youth to turn to trusted adults with questions and concerns, and to ask for help for mental health and substance sue needs," he said.
No single profile of children using opioids
..... There's no one-size-fits-all profile of a child using opioids, said Lisa Centeno, a senior vice president at CarePlus New Jersey, a mental health and addiction servicing group in Paramus. "a kid could be a straight-A student, the homecoming queen, or the silent-keep-to-themselves type and still use and overdose on opioids."
..... the illicit drug supply laced with fentanyl has led to people overdosing without knowing they've taken fentanyl, Centeno said. "Opioids have become increasingly dangerous with the raise of fentanyl, which has become inescapable. Fentanyl has become an additional, hidden danger in the illicit drug supply, leading to increasing deaths across the county as people are overdosing without knowing they've taken fentanyl," she said.
Bipartisan push to fight fentanyl crisis
..... The Murphy administration's announcement of free naloxone kits for schools coincided with a visit by first lady Tammy Murphy to a high school in Virginia, where she highlighted a bipartisan push to tackle the fentanyl crisis through education and awareness with Virginia's first lady, Suzanne Yougkin.
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The visit followed events marking National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. "We know that preparation is key and that having naloxone readily available can mean the difference between life and death," Tammy Murphy said in a statement.
.... "If providing our schools with this safe, fast-acting overdose reversal medication saves just one life, it will have been worth it," she said.