Arkansas school nurses joining the fight against opioids, will start carrying naloxone
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Every school nurse in Arkansas will now start carrying naloxone —a drug that saves people who have overdosed on opioids.
When one school nurse got a kit of naloxone for the first time at the state capitol, she held it up proudly—showing it off.
"School nurses don't just give out Band-Aids and cough drops,” said Judy Morris, school nurse at Harrison School District. “We face mental health issues. We care about the whole child."
Morris said through her 15 years on the job, she's seen more and more students and their parents addicted to opioids.
"As a nurse, I have to look at how important is a life?” she said. “It's everything. This Narcan is everything. Because if it saves one life, and allows one human being to be set on a path that's productive, it's a success."
Governor Hutchinson said a student at Central High overdosed in the school bathroom last year.
"Too many sons and daughters have been lost to opioid abuse,” he said.” “And we want that to end."
Hutchinson said the naloxone the student was carrying saved her life.
"We've seen so many patients come in, struggling with addiction," Morris said. "if I’m able to save one, it's worth it."
Governor Hutchinson said a federal grant will be paying for the kits. He said they cost about $100,000.
