Wellsville CSD installed opiate overdose reversal drug at multiple locations. Here's why

The Wellsville Central School District recently made a medicine that rapidly reverses opiate overdoses available for first responders and other trained personnel at both its elementary and secondary buildings.

The district placed two, single-use nasal spray Narcan kits alongside each of the automated external defibrillators (AED) that are hard mounted to the walls at multiple locations at the schools.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, drug overdose persists as a major public health issue in the United States, with more than 101,750 reported fatal overdoses occurring in the 12-month period ending in October 2022, primarily driven by synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl.

“I think it is pretty readily recognized that the fentanyl issue and the opiate overdose issue is more of a concern (among) the public now than it has been. And we want to have it readily available in the case of a suspected overdose," said school superintendent David Foster.

The district said the spray is available for "suspected narcotic (opiate) overdose where a person’s breathing has stopped or is too slow to be effective in adults or school-age children."

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Foster stressed no specific incident led to the decision.

“We try to be ready for these kinds of situations and it appears, unfortunately, that opiate overdoses are something that needs to be protected against," Foster said.

School nurses certified to administer Narcan

Having Narcan in Wellsville schools is not new. The registered nurses employed by the Allegany County public school system have been certified for several years to administer Narcan for suspected overdoses, Foster said.

However, Foster said the district recognized the need for coverage after the regular school day ends and the nurses are no longer on campus.

“We had a meeting with local EMS and emergency management officials," he explained. "The question always became, ‘What about events and after-school activities and those kinds of things?'"

Foster said the focus is providing an important tool for emergency medical personnel to utilize in the event of a drug overdose, although the district sent school staff a link that can be used for online training and certification to administer Narcan in an emergency.

Foster said he doesn't want the availability of the overdose reversal medicine to overshadow the value of the school's AEDs. He noted that the AEDs have saved lives, pointing to an incident during the 2007-08 academic year when a student went into spontaneous cardiac arrest during a physical education class.

A school AED was critical in saving the child's life, Foster said.

NYS program provides Narcan free of charge

The Narcan devices were provided free to Wellsville schools by the Southern Tier Healthcare System.

The New York state Department of Health offers overdose prevention resources for school settings. All school districts in New York state are eligible to obtain at no cost two cartons (four 4mg doses) of Narcan nasal spray from the manufacturer, Adapt Pharma Inc., for each of their high schools.

School and BOCES districts that choose to become registered as opioid overdose prevention programs are required to follow the registration and reporting requirements of the state Department of Health.

Foster said Wellsville is "moving forward with the requirements" to become registered.

Neal Simon on Twitter @HornellTribNeal. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Wellsville schools install Narcan kits in AED cabinets: What to know