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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | July 6, 2017 04:52 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Vincent J. Hughes |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Preventing Fatal Opioid Overdoses in Schools |
| In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that allows schools and colleges to keep an emergency supply of naloxone and administer it in the event that and overdose occurs on campus. Across the country communities are struggling to deal with the opioid epidemic. Pennsylvania has been particularly hard hit by this crisis. While we as a Commonwealth have made strides in the last few years to ensure that naloxone and other opioid antagonists are readily available in the event of a drug overdose emergency, there is still more we can do to ensure that our constituents have access to this life saving medicine. This why I will be introducing legislation to allow schools to store and administer naloxone to students who are suspected of having a drug overdose. As previously stated, my legislation allows schools and colleges to obtain and use naloxone in emergency situations and builds on the good work of an existing Department of Health pilot program. The bill imposes no mandates on our schools and colleges, it merely provides them the option of having naloxone available in the event of an overdose. The bill also provides legal immunity to school nurses and other school employees that administer naloxone in an emergency and have received the proper Department approved training. Please join me in protecting our students by ensuring that their schools and colleges have access to and can administer this life saving medical treatment. If you have any questions, please contact Sean Brennan in my office, at sbrennan@pasenate.com or (717)-787-7112 at your convenience. |
Introduced as SB886