Updated: 11:56 a.m.Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015 | Posted: 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015

Could school nurses soon be giving Narcan?

It’s seen as a preventativemeasure as more drug overdose deaths occur.

By Lauren Pack

Staff Writer

BUTLER COUNTY — 

Butler County law enforcement and health officialsare voicing support for Sen. Sherrod Brown’s call upon the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services to help schools maintain a supply of naloxone, betterknown as narcan, for use in in opioid overdose emergencies.

In2014, 103 people died of heroin overdoses, according to the Middletown HealthDepartment and the Butler County Coroner’s Office. As of June this year, therehave been 85 heroin overdose deaths.

“Iwill support whatever is necessary to fight the heroin crisis in our city —whatever our school district decides I would support their decisions fully,”said Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw.

Narcanreverses the effects of heroin or opiate-derived drug overdoses.

Inan Oct. 29 letter addressed to the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices, Brown (D-Ohio) asked that grants be made available through existingprograms, including the Rural Opioid Overdose program, to assist schools in theacquisition of naloxone and the training of school nurses and other personnelin its use.

“Toomany young people are facing drug abuse and drug overdoses,” Brown said in arelease. “The National Association of School Nurses and school administratorsacross the country agree: we need to use every resource available to save younglives.”

Thepresident of the National Association of School Nurses, Beth Mattey, told thisnews organization that there is a need to address the overall problem ofprescription opiate and heroin abuse now: “It is in the community; it is just amatter of time before it is in the schools.”

ButlerCounty Sheriff Richard Jones said he supports any measure that would help stopthe heroin epidemic for those who are young enough to kick it.

“SureI would support it for kids because there are kids that don’t always make theright choice,” Jones said. “You know, kids have a chance to beat it, but theadults you see sleeping under the bridge addicted, it is really tough. It is abattle and we are not doing well.”

Drugcartels target children as new customers, so it is important to make adifference early, according to Jones.

“Ido believe, along with the narcan, they should also have to enter a treatmentprogram after they overdose,” he said. “Just saving them doesn’t do any good ifthey continue to overdose.”

JackiePhillips, Middletown Health Department director, said young people areoverdosing and she believes narcan should be available where those emergenciesare occurring.

“Ifschools are where overdoses are occurring, then I could certainly see it at anurses station or with a resource officer,” Phillips said.

“Itis a safe drug and it can save someone. I would hate see someone in front of meoverdosing and not be able to help them,” she said, adding that she always hasa Narcan dose at the ready.

TracyHeineke, Hamilton City Schools supervisor to health service said, “I don’t knowof any policy regarding this. We have a very quick EMSresponse so we shouldn’t ever need it like perhaps a more rural district may.”

Thepresident of the National Association of School Nurses, Beth Mattey, told thisnews organization that there is a need to address the overall problem ofprescription opiate and heroin abuse now: “It is in the community; it is just amatter of time before it is in the schools.”

Accordingto the Centers for Disease Controls 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey,17.8 percent of high school students had used a prescription drug, includingopioids at least once in their life, 2.2 percent had used heroin and 22.1percent had used, sold or been offered drugs on school property.

ButDaytongrandmother Deborah Ogletree said she disagrees with Brown’s request.

“Ibelieve in our schools we ought to have something called boundaries,” Ogletreesaid. “And that is far, way outside the boundary of what a school is allabout.”

Illinois, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Islandand Vermontall have laws or programs allowing school nurses and other personnel toadminister naloxone at schools. According to Senator Brown’s office, themajority of these states do not, however, provide funding for the acquisitionof naloxone or training in its use, and few have decided to maintain a supplyat this time.