Coauthored by Assembly Member Megan Dahle
Existing law authorizes school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to provide emergency naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist, as defined, to school nurses or trained personnel who have volunteered, as provided. Existing law authorizes school nurses or trained personnel to use naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist to provide emergency medical aid to persons suffering, or reasonably believed to be suffering, from an opioid overdose. Existing law authorizes each public and private elementary and secondary school in the state to determine whether or not to make emergency naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist and trained personnel available at its school, as provided.
This bill would require each public and elementary and secondary school in the state, including charter schools, to maintain unexpired doses of naloxone hydrochloride or any other opioid antagonist on its schoolsite at all times, and to ensure that at least 2 employees are aware of the location of the naloxone hydrochloride or other opioid antagonist. The bill would require school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to report to the State Department of Education and the State Department of Health Care Services, on an annual basis at the end of every school year, all incidents of on campus pupil opioid exposure during that school year. The bill would make other conforming changes. By imposing new duties on public schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, independent institutions of higher education, as defined, and private postsecondary educational institutions, as defined, as the segments of postsecondary education in the state.
Existing law requires the governing board of each community college district and the Trustees of the California State University to provide educational and preventive information about opioid overdose and the use and location of opioid overdose reversal medication to students, as provided. Existing law requires those governing boards to require that campus health centers apply to use the statewide standing order issued by the State Public Health Officer to distribute dosages of a federally approved opioid overdose reversal medication, and apply to participate in the Naloxone Distribution Project administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, as provided. Existing law requests the Regents of the University of California to comply with these requirements.
This bill would require every campus of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, an independent institution of higher education, and a private postsecondary educational institution to maintain unexpired doses of naloxone hydrochloride or any other opioid antagonist on its campus at all times, and to ensure that at least 2 employees are aware of the location of the naloxone hydrochloride or other opioid antagonist. By imposing new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
This bill would, among other things, authorize a community college to provide emergency naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist to school nurses and trained personnel who have volunteered, as specified, and authorize school nurses and trained personnel to use naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist to provide emergency medical aid to persons suffering, or reasonably believed to be suffering, from an opioid overdose. The bill would require a qualified supervisor of health or administrator at a community college electing to use naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist for emergency medical aid to obtain the prescription for naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist from an authorizing physician and surgeon, as defined. The bill would prohibit an authorizing physician and surgeon from being subject to professional review, being liable in a civil action, or being subject to criminal prosecution for any act in the issuing of a prescription or order, pursuant to these provisions, unless the act constitutes gross negligence or willful or malicious conduct. The bill would prohibit a person trained under these provisions who administers naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist by nasal spray or auto-injector, in good faith and not for compensation, to a person who appears to be experiencing an opioid overdose from being subject to professional review, being liable in a civil action, or being subject to criminal prosecution for this administration.
This bill would exempt from civil or criminal liability any person who, in good faith and not for compensation, administers naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist by nasal spray or auto-injector on a campus of the California State University, the University of California, an independent institution of higher education, or a private postsecondary educational institution.