Naloxone is now widely carried by first responders and police. Distribution efforts have also helped make the medication available to community partners.
Naloxone has quickly become a central part of harm reduction efforts nationally and within North Carolina.
Naloxone is now widely carried by first responders and police. Distribution efforts have also helped make the medication available to community partners.
โHarm reduction is the first line of defense we have. It is the on the ground, in the community response. It is by people with lived experience for people with lived experience,โ shared Elyse Powell, executive director of the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition.
Efforts to bring naloxone into school systems are also expanding, including in Wake County Schools. School officials tell WRAL News training efforts are underway to prepare for the distribution of the medication to schools this year.
The State Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council drafted model legislation to address a problem they’re seeing among classmates.
Some North Carolina students want to do something about rising drug use and mental health issues among young people.
On Thursday, a student group told the State Board of Education that schools should have wellness teams to help intervene when they see problems.
Sarah Beitar, a member of the State Superintendentโs Student Advisory Council, said she knows someone at her Harnett County high school who overdosed.
โWe have freshmen, so children as young as 14 and 15, having to deal with these topics of overdose and making sure that theyโre being safe,โ she said.
Wake County schools will now be required to make sure that theyโve got employees who can treat opioid overdoses on campus.
The Wake County school board approved Tuesday a new policy on the emergency use of Naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose when given in time. Every Wake school will be required to have at least three employees who are trained in how to administer Naloxone, which is the generic name for the drug Narcan.
The policy comes as opioid overdoses and addiction have surged nationally.
In 2022, 219 people died from drug overdoses in Wake County, The News & Observer previously reported. Opioids โ medicines prescribed for pain like codeine, fentanyl, oxycodone and morphine โ were responsible in three-quarters of the deaths.
โFentanyl is everywhere,โ said school board member Wing Ng. โFentanyl is a crisis. We all have to be aware of the signs and symptoms.โ
STOCKING NALOXONE IN SCHOOLS
The policy directs Superintendent Robert Taylor to develop a program to place Naloxone at schools, early learning centers and district administrative offices. Thereโs currently no money in the budget to purchase Naloxone. The district estimates that it could cost $6,500 to $30,000 to place two Naloxone doses at each school. The board accelerated adoption of the policy to get it in place before a June 5 deadline to apply for funding from the county.
CARY, N.C. (WTVD) — There’s a push to get a life-saving medication in every Wake County school.
Wake County Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a new Naloxone policy.
Last month, Wake County school board membersย approved a new policyย that requires all county schools to keep a supply of Naloxone – also known by its brand name Narcan – and train faculty members on how to use it.
Before the vote, school resource officers already carried Narcan, but not every Wake County school has an SRO. The newly approved plan requires at least three staff members at each school to be trained and able to administer the drug in case of an emergency. However, it fell short of requiring Naloxone to be kept on campus.
“If we have a tool that can save a life, particularly one of our student’s lives,” Chris Heagarty, Wake County School board chair, said, “we want to do everything we can to take those steps.”
Under the new plan, each school principal will designate three or more people on their staff as a part of a medical care program. Those designated people will receive initial training and annual training on how to properly store naloxone, as well as how to administer it.
Each school principal will also need to come up with an emergency action plan for the use of naloxone that complies with all state laws.
“There’s definitely been people at my school that do drugs and it would be best if we had something like that on campus. God forbid something happens,” Cary High School student Emily Ranft said.
“I personally think it should be available in every school. Just because you never know. Better safe than sorry,” Dr. Collin Welteroth said.
This policy is personal for some Wake County mothers.
Barb Walsh, back in December, urged the school board to consider requiring Naloxone be put in schools countywide.
Walsh’s daughter Sophia, died nearly three years ago from fentanyl poisoning. She was drinking from a water bottle that had the dangerous opioid mixed into it.
She made it her mission to not only support families like hers but also promote the life-saving medicine Naloxone.
“It doesn’t take an army. It doesn’t take a lobbyist,” Walsh said to ABC11 in April. “It takes a mom who’s lost a child to stand in front of the school board to make this happen. And that’s significant.”
Tuesday’s Wake County school board meeting starts at 1 p.m.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) โ The Wake County School board approved a policy to make naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, available in all schools and to train school staff to use it.
The newly-approved policy enables the district to put naloxone in schools across the county and train at least three people in each school to administer it if someone has an emergency that appears to be opioid-related.
Barb Walsh, whose daughter died after accidentally being exposed to fentanyl, came to the meeting with a large picture of her daughter and boxes of naloxone. She pleaded with the board to act quickly.
โTen people die each day in North Carolina from fentanyl, and itโs in products people donโt know itโs in,โ she said. โKids may not intentionally take it, but they will die and this is how weโre going to save lives.โ
She emphasized that itโs important to have naloxone in schools that serve children of all ages.
โWe do not know what the environments of the children are, so we donโt know what age somebody will be ingesting fentanyl unintentionally, but the school will be ready.โ
Before naloxone can be put in schools, though, the district has to obtain it. The board is looking at funding sources. One potential source of funding is Wake Countyโs opioid settlement money.
Applications are due by June 5, and the school board noted that deadline during Tuesdayโs meeting. Board members decided to waive a second reading of the policy and move forward with approval, as staff said a policy must be in place before the board could apply for funding from the county.
On May 21, 2024 at the Wake County Public School System board meeting Barbara Walsh spoke on the proposal to have Naloxone in all 200+ schools across Wake County.
Shortly after Barbara’s comments, WCPSS approved emergency use naloxone in all 200 schools! The second reading was waived and the motion PASSED!
The Wake County School Board is set to consider a proposal that would designate specific people on school campuses to be trained in administering naloxone in the event of an overdose emergency. However, it does not guarantee the availability of naloxone in every school.
Barb Walsh has dedicated her days to fighting the opioid epidemic. She has been steadfast in her pursuit for justice and bringing awareness to fentanyl fatalities and their families.
Walsh said her daughter Sophia died after drinking a water bottle with fentanyl in it. Now, sheโs working to get naloxone in every school in the state.
โShe could’ve been saved by naloxone, but she wasn’t,โ Walsh told WRAL News. โShe died instantly.โ
Right now, school resource officers carry naloxone, but not every Wake County school has one.
โIf [SROs] did receive that call to respond, and they were on campus, they will be able to arrive within minutes to be able to administer that Narcan, if needed,โ said Sgt. Jeremy Pittman, with the Wake County Sheriffโs Office.
In the proposal, it says principals would designate specific people on campus who would get training to administer it in the event of an emergency.
โNaloxone devices will be stored in secure but unlocked and easily accessible locations. Each school principal shall designate one or more school personnel, as part of the medical care program under G.S. 115C-375.1, to receive initial training and annual retraining from a school nurse or qualified representative of the local health department regarding the storage and emergency use of naloxone devices. The training shall include basic instruction and information on how to administer naloxone. Only such trained personnel are authorized to administer naloxone to persons believed to be having an overdose reaction, โ it reads.
Additionally, the principal would collaborate with โappropriate school personnelโ to create an emergency action plan, including a school-wide employee training to recognize the symptoms of an opioid overdose.
However, each school would not be required to have it.
โThis policy also does not guarantee availability of naloxone devices at school, and students and parents/guardians should consult with their own physician(s) regarding such medication(s). Nothing in this policy should be construed to require the presence or use of naloxone on school property or at school sponsored events, unless otherwise required by law. The Board cannot and does not guarantee that naloxone or a person trained in its use will be available at any particular school site or school-sponsored event,โ the proposal reads.
Thatโs because the drug comes with a price tag, according to a district spokesperson. The spokesperson said the district is still working to identify funding to get the drug in every school. The current budget does not reflect funding for naloxone in each school. However, it could change.
According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, โOpioid overdose on school grounds increased this school year, with 21 incidents of naloxone use.โ
Of the 115 school districts in the state, 22 have a district-wide program supported with local policy and procedure, according to NCDHHS.
โNaloxone in schools is a safety policy,โ Walsh said. โWe have AEDs in schools; we have EpiPens in schools; we have fire extinguishers in schools. Naloxone is not different.โ
Walsh said people also need to change their attitudes.
โEverybody gets judged. That judgment is the person, the victim, is somehow at fault, that they’re less than,โ she said. โIt is a medical emergency. That person’s life could be saved.โ
Additionally, Walsh said implementing naloxone in each school will bring wider awareness to the issue in general.
โYou’re also educating about the symptoms of fentanyl,” she said. “They’ll have more tools in their toolbox.โ
The board has been supportive of the proposal in previous meetings. A final vote will be required after Tuesday’s meeting.
Families of people who have died due to fentanyl use urged North Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday to do more to prevent other people from feeling their pain.
Fentanyl deaths are on the rise in North Carolina, state data shows:
2,838 people died from fentanyl from January 2023 โ October 2023
2,797 people died from fentanyl from January 2022 โ October 2023
October 2023 represented the most recent data the North Carolina Department of Health and Human and Human Services could provide.
Theresa Mathewson, whose son Joshua died in August 2022 at the age of 27 from fentanyl poisoning, was among the families visiting North Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday.
The group is advocating for North Carolina lawmakers to mandate having a box of naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, in every school in the state. Some people who attended Wednesdayโs event said they were confident state leaders will utilize $350,000 of the $350 million in opioid settlement funds that North Carolina received to make it a reality.
Theresa Mathewson said she found her son unresponsive in his bedroom.
โHe was getting ready to complete some tasks for a new job,โ she said of her late son.
Theresa Mathewson said he son took half of a pill with roughly 14 times the lethal dose of fentanyl in it.
โ[It was] enough to kill him and all his closest friends.
โIt should be an eye-opener,โ said Chelsea Mathewson, who is the sister of Joshua Mathewson.
The Mathewsons have started several grassroots organizations in Harnett County to spread awareness of the dangers of opioid use.
In 2022, more than 4,300 people in North Carolina died from all opioid exposure.
โPart of likes these [events] because I don’t feel alone, but I hate them,โ Chelsea Mathewson said. โI absolutely hate them.
โI hate that there’s another mother and father going through it.โ
Danielle Erving, whose son died from fentanyl poisoning, also attended Wednesdayโs event.
โNobody deserves this heartbreak because it can happen to anybody,โ Erving said.
Jazmine Brown, whose brother died from fentanyl poisoning, echoed Ervingโs sentiments.
โNobody is safe from this, as sad as it is,โ Brown said. โThatโs the most important thing for people to acknowledge.โ
Narcan is the FDA-approved nasal form of naloxone for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose. The Wake County school board is considering a policy to have naloxone at all schools. News & Observer file photo
Wake County schools could soon be stocked with Naloxone to treat potential opioid overdoses on campus.
The school boardโs policy committee recommended on Tuesday new rules on emergency use of Naloxone. The policy requires schools to train people in how to administer Naloxone and directs Superintendent Robert Taylor to develop a program to place Naloxone at schools, early learning centers and district administrative offices.
โThis is fantastic,โ said school board member Sam Hershey. โThis warms my heart weโre going in this direction. I think itโs crucial. At some point itโs going to hit, and weโve got to be as ready as we can be.โ
EdTalks is modeled after the highly-regarded TEDtalks and was created by WakeEd Partnership to provide a public platform for Wake County educators to share their stories, their truths, and their experiences.
The event was held at Jones Auditorium on the campus of Meredith College in Raleigh, NC on March 21, 2024.