By Bob Katzen

The Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Committee held a hearing on legislation that would allow school districts the option of creating a Narcan overdose prevention program. The measure would require every school nurse to be trained in Narcan assistance and to have Narcan in the nurse’s office. Narcan is an emergency treatment used for the complete or partial reversal of opioid overdose.

“It is critical that all of our schools have access to Narcan and have the trained personnel to administer this life-saving medicine,” said sponsor Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield). “In several of my rural school districts, waiting for first responders to arrive and administer Narcan can mean precious time is lost. Expanding access to Narcan is so important for reversing overdoses and this legislation is squarely focused on that goal.”