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AZ House votes to equip schools and nurses with critical diabetes drug [1]
['Leah Britton Ua Don Bolles Fellow', 'More From Author', '- February']
Date: 2024-02
Because Arizona schools gained the ability in 2017 to store albuterol inhalers for emergency use, Scottsdale Unified School District school nurse Will Graham was able to act immediately when he noticed a student was experiencing breathing difficulties.
“That treatment was so effective that, by the time the fire department got there, the student required no further treatment…and was able to go home with her parents,” Graham explained to lawmakers in a January hearing.
Now, lawmakers are looking to further maximize preparedness for school nurses after the Arizona House of Representatives unanimously voted to allow schools to stock up on a vital diabetes medication for use in case of emergencies.
House Bill 2174, introduced by Rep. Beverly Pingerelli, R-Peoria, would allow schools to keep a supply of glucagon, a medication used to reverse severe low blood sugar.
Glucagon is a hormone that works alongside insulin within the body to regulate blood sugar levels, and can be a lifesaver for those with diabetes.
“If a student has life-threatening low blood sugar and loses consciousness, glucagon or similar medications are the only treatment, and every minute that goes by results in likely permanent brain damage and eventual death,” Graham told the House Education Committee on Jan. 16
Currently, unless glucagon medication is provided by the pupil’s parents, school nurses cannot do anything to help a student except calling emergency services and idly awaiting their arrival.
“This period of waiting without (the) option for treatment can result in permanent disability or death to the student,” Graham said.
The bill would allow for schools to prepare for these emergencies and prevent the worst case scenario by allowing them to annually obtain a standing order to maintain a supply of glucagon medications that can be administered to pupils in need by designated “voluntary diabetes care assistants.”
Any professional within the school setting — including teachers — can become a voluntary care assistant upon completion of appropriate training.
The bill also requires that certification be regularly renewed by the school or district’s administration, to ensure care assistants are up to date in their techniques and information.
If passed, the legislation would not cost the state any new money, as the bill would give schools the ability to apply for grants, receive donations or participate in programs that provide the medication for free — like the current “EPIPEN4SCHOOLS” program, through which EPIPEN distributor Viatris Inc. donates the medication to schools around the nation.
The American Diabetes Association estimates more than 40,000 Arizonans are diagnosed with diabetes each year. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that, nationally, over 350,000 people under the age of 20 were living with diagnosed diabetes.
The bill has been sent to the Senate, which must also approve it before it can become law.
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[1] Url:
https://azmirror.com/blog/az-house-votes-to-equip-schools-and-nurses-with-critical-diabetes-drug/
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