Doses of Narcan, which counters the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose, will soon be in all school nurse's offices in Lebanon.
“Whatever we can do to help students, I'm for it," said Sandy Belisle, who has been the nurse at Lyman Memorial High School in Lebanon for 16 years.
Belisle supports a new plan to have doses of Narcan at the ready in her office as well as in the nurse's offices at Lebanon middle and elementary schools.
“It is a safeguard and that's what we should look at it as," Belisle said.
Narcan, or Naloxone, is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Though overdoses have not been an issue within Lebanon schools, district leaders said they want to follow other Connecticut school systems in getting this safeguard in place now.
“This is just another drug tool available to our school nurses in case the need arises," said Robert Angeli, Lebanon Superintendent of Schools.
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Starting this fall, the elementary, middle and high schools will each have two doses of Narcan nasal spray on hand at a cost of about $50 per dose.
Belisle, meanwhile, stresses that there is a movement to make Narcan available to school nurses nationwide to confront a problem that can creep into any community.
“Narcan has been beneficial, has saved lives," said Belisle. "If we have that potential in our medicine cabinet in school nurses office, I think that's a great thing.”
Each dose of Narcan will expire after about 18 months. The superintendent said it is an inexpensive way to make these schools safer.
