Office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland announcement.
U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) alongside fellow Representatives Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Ryan Zinke (MT-01), and John Moolenaar (MI-02), re-introduced the Stop Overdose in Schools Act. This bipartisan legislation would secure funding for naloxone training and purchasing, and would increase naloxone access for school resource officers, security personnel, and school nurses.
“Opioid overdose deaths among children and adolescents have risen exponentially in the last several years, and some of those young lives could have been saved if they had been treated quickly,” said Rep Strickland. “While we work in Congress to address the root causes of the opioid crisis in this country, with this legislation, Rep. Newhouse and I are making sure that those on the frontlines of this battle have all the tools they need to save lives.”
“Fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death for people ages 18-45, and no community has been left untouched by this crisis,” said Rep. Newhouse. “I am proud to introduce the Stop Overdose in Schools Act, which would address the skyrocketing adolescent overdose rate, since it has become clear that our police and school resource officers need more support. This bill will be absolutely critical in helping our hardworking frontline workers prevent the tragic drug-related overdose deaths of Central Washington—and America’s—youth.”
Naloxone, otherwise known by the brand name “Narcan”, is a FDA-approved drug used to counter the effects of opioids such as fentanyl. This is achieved through preventing opioid absorption into the bloodstream. When Naloxone is administered quickly – either through injection or nasal spray – it can prevent death caused by an overdose.
By way of clarification, naloxone does not prevent absorption of opioids into the blood stream. Naloxone reversibly binds to opioid receptors in the brain and thus prevents the opioids from stopping the victim’s breathing. Something else to consider is that naloxone has a much shorter half-life in the body than most opioids and if the overdose is large in amount respiratory depression may recur after the first dose of naloxone. Overdose victims require at least a couple of hours of observation after the incident and maybe more depending on the particular culprit drug. Thank you.