OHA announces plan to offer free opioid overdose reversal kits to middle, high schools throughout Oregon  

Ashland.news staff report 

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has announced plans to offer free opioid overdose reversal kits to middle and high schools throughout the state.

The effort is an expansion of the Save Lives Oregon (SLO) Initiative’s Harm Reduction Clearinghouse Project.

Ashland Superintendent Samuel Bogdanove shared his support for the increase in availability of Narcan, the brand name for a device that delivers naloxone, to Oregon schools, including in Ashland.

“We are in full support of harm reduction strategies and it is exciting news that OHA will be providing Narcan (Naloxone) directly to schools,” said Superintendent Samuel Bogdanove, in an email to Ashland.news. “We are working with our school-based health center operated by La Clinica (de Valle) to provide Narcan to students that request it. Students need to meet with a nurse to learn how to administer the Narcan. Max’s Mission has been involved in providing Narcan to the high school and at recent educational events, and may be assisting with provision to students. The OHA program will be a definite help in harm reduction efforts and is a move in the right direction.”

“We are registering for the program and the additional kits for the middle and high school will be helpful,” Bogdanove added. “Timing for Narcan administration is critical so availability is key.”

The initiative comes amid a record rate of teen overdoses over the last five years, according to reporting by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. From 2018 through 2022, the Chronicle reported, drug deaths among teens aged 15 to 19 soared 550% – the fastest-growing rate in the U.S., based on Centers for Disease Prevention and Control data compiled by a parent advocate, Jon Epstein. Over the same time period, nearly 300 people aged 15 to 24 died from a drug overdose – giving Oregon a higher death rate among young people than the national average.

The SLO Harm Reduction Clearinghouse began during COVID and has provided naloxone and other harm reduction supplies at no cost to agencies around the state that directly engage with people at highest risk of substance use related overdose, infections, and injuries.

The expansion of the Harm Reduction Clearinghouse Project to support schools to access naloxone was made possible through one-time funding from the Oregon’s Opioid Settlement Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Board.

The Oregon Department of Education last week notified school district leaders about the availability of naloxone for schools, registration opened Nov. 29 and, as of Friday, Dec. 8, 505 schools, colleges, and universities have requested reversal kits.

The intent is to help school districts increase access to overdose reversal kits within their schools for use in the event of an opioid overdose emergency at or near a school campus.

“The opioid epidemic and overdose crisis impacts every community in Oregon. While overdose events on school property are rare, our school communities should be prepared to respond to an overdose medical emergency,” said Ebony Clarke, OHA’s director of behavioral health.

Every middle and high school is eligible to receive up to three opioid overdose reversal kits. The kits contain a wall-mounted naloxone box, instructions, emergency medical supplies, and eight doses of the opioid antagonist, naloxone nasal spray.

Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication, can restore breathing while waiting for emergency medical services to arrive.  Access to naloxone is necessary for school staff to respond to an opioid overdose on or near a school campus.  

Eligible schools must serve students seventh grade or higher. The program is open to all public, private, charter schools, colleges and universities or tribal communities located in Oregon.

For more information, including the link to the online application, visit the SLO website.

The SLO Clearinghouse has provided no-cost supplies to more than 280 organizations and agencies across Oregon and Tribal communities, including harm reduction organizations, local public health and behavioral health agencies, law enforcement, first responders, community health clinics, substance use disorder facilities and hospital-based programs.

The Harm Reduction Clearinghouse has distributed more than 335,500 doses of naloxone to agencies that directly distribute naloxone to people at risk of opioid overdose since 2022, according to OHA estimates.

Source: Oregon Health Authority news release. Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].