AZED task force places more than 4,000 Narcan kits in schools
Ever looked up "free Narcan kits Phoenix"? You'll see that many are in public schools. That's because of a task force launched by education officials.
PHOENIX — A task force formed by the Arizona Department of Education last year has placed over 4,000 kits of Narcan throughout schools, officials said.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne formed the task force last year. It’s called the School Training Overdose Preparedness and Intelligence Taskforce — or STOP IT for short.
The task force’s co-chairman, Holly Geyer, previously said Arizona has around 4,000 opioid overdoses a year, with many of the deaths involving youths.
Free Narcan kits Phoenix: Task force increased supply
The task force has distributed just under 4,400 kits to 144 educational agencies throughout Arizona, according to the Arizona Department of Education.
Another 210 kits are currently being packaged for distribution.
On top of that, another 2,000 kits have been given to school staffers by various means, such as attending training hosted by the state department’s School Safety Unit.
The fact that so many kits of the emergency treatment to reverse drug overdoses have been sent out throughout the state is great news, according to Horne.
“The results have been excellent and represent my ongoing commitment to the health and safety of school-aged children,” Horne said in a Friday news release. “They are to be congratulated for doing a tremendous amount of work in a short time and getting tangible results that will help protect children.”
He also said he’s happy that so many organizations throughout Arizona have expressed their support of the task force.
“We are grateful to the 20 medical societies, government agencies and state programs that have signed a letter of support promoting the integration of STOP-IT resources into our schools,” Horne said.
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Comments
3 Comments
Biden's America repercussions.
Hobbs is all about stopping the flow of fentanyl into the country but not the flow of people who bring it. Great job Hobbs, if the border had been closed we wouldn't need this in schools.
Cui bono? Is Narcan public? Who owns Narcan? Must be nice, to have a company that produces items mandatory in US schools.....