COLUMBIA, S.C. — Naloxone, better known as Narcan, is a lifesaving drug reversal medication and will now be available in all South Carolina schools for the upcoming school year.
Starting today, schools will be given the opportunity to stock their campuses with Narcan through a DHEC distribution event.
This decision comes after the House Bill 4122 was passed earlier this year by the South Carolina General Assembly.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control partnered up with South Carolina Department of Education to stock schools with the drug reversal medication.
Richland School District Two will be one of the districts stocking their schools with Narcan. The drug is administered with quick sprays in the nose.
Dawn McAdams is the coordinator for health services at Richland School District Two. McAdams believes that school nurses having access to Narcan can be life changing.
"It's not if we need it, but when," said McAdams. "Several school districts have had very close calls. Fortunately we know that high quality CPR is important, calling EMS and if you have a resource office many of them also carry Narcan. But this will be another added safety measure in our toolbox when we have someone with an expected overdose."
Doctor Traxler is the Director of Public Health at DHEC and says the increase of suspected opioid overdoses on a school campus has increased recently.
"We went from seven to ten a year in 2019 and 2020 to eighteen to twenty in 2021 and 2022," said Traxler. "As of just through March there has been seven."
Victoria Ladd is a school nurse consultant and says there are many reasons why students would come into contact with opioids.
"We do see a lot of prescription opioids in the school age population because of dental procedures, this is the age that kids get wisdom teeth out," said Ladd. "They have lots of sports injuries and you know kids with knees surgeries things like that, they do get prescribed opioids for pain."