Denver Public Schools start keeping life-saving Narcan in middle and high schools
Starting Monday, Denver Public Schools is providing naloxone in all its middle and high schools.
"With the increase in fentanyl in our communities, we are seeing more and more cases of people who are accidentally overdosing," Scott Pribble, the director of external communications with DPS, said. "I think it's very important that we have as many tools in our toolbox to keep our kids safe."
Opioid overdoses are an epidemic in Colorado, taking the lives of people young and old. All the more reason why DPS is putting the life-saving drug in more than 70 schools.
"DPS came to this decision when the state offered to supply the Narcan to schools," Pribble told CBS News Colorado.
Naloxone, better known as Narcan, can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It can also keep someone who has overdosed stable, allowing for more time for medical professionals to provide critical care.
While there have not been many overdose situations within Denver Public Schools, Pribble explained the district wants to be ready.
"We have not seen a large uptick of overdoses in our schools, but this medication is readily available to us, it's free and makes sense to have our nurses trained on how to use that in case they ever need to," he said.
For now, school nurses will be provided two doses of the naloxone nasal spray and the supply can be replenished as needed. Pribble said those nurses are taking a simple training in order to administer the medicine – saying it's a short video with little paperwork. The Narcan kits will not be kept in classrooms.
"We have epi-pens, AEDs [in schools], those are things we hopefully never have to use," said Pribble. But if we have to, we have them. Narcan is the next tool in that tool kit."
Narcan is being provided to the district for free thanks to the state's Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund. That fund received a near $2 million boost earlier this year from the American Rescue Act.
