EDITORIAL

Fighting back and saving lives

Posted 9/15/15

Rhode Island this year has become one of several states to mandate that middle, junior high and high schools stock naloxone, also known by its brand name, Narcan.

The drug, which is administered …

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EDITORIAL

Fighting back and saving lives

Posted

Rhode Island this year has become one of several states to mandate that middle, junior high and high schools stock naloxone, also known by its brand name, Narcan.

The drug, which is administered by syringe or nasal spray, serves as an antidote for opiate overdoses. And while adding it to school first-aid kits may at first glance it may seem like an extreme step, the growing epidemic of overdoses tied to heroin and prescription painkiller abuse makes the move a vital step to protect young lives.

Rhode Island has been hard-hit by the overdose crisis, more so than the nation as a whole. More than 100 people have lost their lives thus far this year, after more than 200 perished in 2014. The crisis has touched all corners of the Ocean State.

The new law, introduced by Warwick state Rep. David Bennett, requires naloxone be kept in secondary schools and that nurses be trained in its use. Bennett said between July 2, 2014, and July 17, 2015, more than 20 Rhode Island children – most of them teenagers –were saved by naloxone.

Overdoses in school are rare, and Bennett acknowledged the idea of having Narcan in an educational setting may shock some in the community.

“But for that one student life that could be saved by having school nurses trained in Narcan, it’ll all be worth it,” he said. “You can’t put a price on a kid’s life. We have a drug problem in this state and we need to get ahead of it.”

We agree with the representative’s assessment. The proliferation of prescription painkillers has been well documented across the nation in recent years, as has the growing trend of young people experimenting with and abusing the drugs, which are too often too accessible.

Statistics point to the severity of the situation. Between 2001 and 2013, heroin overdose deaths nearly quintupled nationally. According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, a survey of 81 school nurses in Rhode Island who took part in a naloxone training program last year found that 43 percent of responding high school nurses indicated students in their schools were abusing opioids.

Kathleen Gage, longtime school nurse at Warwick’s Pilgrim High School for the past 15 years, was a main supporter of Bennett’s legislation. After attending a presentation and training session on naloxone last year, she purchased the drug at a pharmacy to keep at school, and shared information about its availability and use with students.

“We have had an increase in overdoses across the state, happening at younger and younger ages,” she said. “It’s only a matter of time before an overdose happens in a school setting. We should be prepared for that.”

In battling the broader issue of opioid abuse and overdoses, success has already been seen – and lives have been saved – through the distribution of naloxone to emergency medical responders and law enforcement personnel. The drug is also available without a prescription at pharmacies for those over the age of 18.

Bennett estimates supplying all of the state’s secondary schools with naloxone will cost less than $7,000. At that price tag, the investment is truly a no-brainer.

But the work doesn’t stop there. Reaching out to our young people regarding the dangers of opioid abuse will be vital to curbing the disturbing trend of recent years, and we applaud the work of Bennett, Gage, and many others on that front.

“If Rhode Island doesn’t get ahead of this epidemic, we are going to lose a lot of people,” Bennett said. “Education is the greatest weapon against this drug problem. If we show people we are serious about this and take some real steps forward, we could see a change.”

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