Looks like finally we will have NARCAN available in our schools, sort of. You see there had been a hold up because of the MA state policy for schools. Only nurses can administer medicine without a DR.'s order. This was not a LYNN policy but a state one. Non-nurse personnel can't use school stock of medicine.
Rather than change or tweak the rules it was finally decided they would just go around them by allowing coaches or other employees to carry their own personal stash of NARCAN and administer it if need be.
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| LPS nurse Kathy McNulty, RN |
It was said there was something like 50 overdoses last month, thankfully none involving LPS but unfortunately it's only a matter of time. As a side note my niece in TN cites the opiod crisis, since deaths from overdoses overtook car accidents as the leading cause of death of the young, as her inspiration for pursuing a medical career. It's bad all over.
So I'm glad we are finally on record with a policy, just sad that it took this long to arrive at a place we could have been at all along.
Are school personnel legally allowed to administer medication to a student without parental consent? This new policy may have legal ramifications.
ReplyDeleteThere is not one. The policy is to get around the policy. This allows them to use the GOOD SAMARITAN law that covers regular folks, giving them legal protection. This comes from the state, not LPS.
ReplyDeleteThe Good Samaritan law may protect the individual administering the medication, but does it protect LPS from liability? In other words, can a parent, guardian or student take legal action against and LPS be held liable for the act of a school employee administering the medication on school property without consent? We hear about people filing lawsuits for almost anything these days (and winning).
ReplyDeleteThat's why the people will be acting as INDIVIDUALS using their own NARCAN to skirt anybody having responsibility.
DeleteThey are still LPS employees and on school property. I would not be surprise to hear about legal action being taken against LPS at some point in the future with regards to this issue with this policy.
ReplyDelete