BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Data from Vermont’s Department of Health shows that 212 people died from opioid overdoses in 2023, and now schools are trying to nip the problem in the bud.
The Department of Health says while there haven’t been any fatal overdoses in Vermont schools, that’s not the case around the country.
That’s why health officials have taken a proactive approach to harm reduction by working on distributing Narcan and other supplies to all Vermont schools.
Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union registered nurse Tim Davis says Narcan has been used in schools in the area before, and he wanted to bring it to the SU to prevent overdoses and to educate the community.
“We do want to have these kits available at all the schools. The idea being you know, it’s not just for drug abusers, it’s for family members of people who are suffering from addiction,” said Davis.
In both Lamoille and Orleans counties, students might soon be able to access Narcan and fentanyl test strips at school.
Davis said, “It hasn’t been an issue in our school district to be honest with you, but we want it to never be an issue.”
Kits from the Department of Health came at no cost to the Supervisory Union. Davis says the plan is for them to be distributed in all 8 schools.
OSSU isn’t the only school system getting involved in overdose prevention. Statewide, Kelly Dougherty with the Department of Health says 17 school districts and 69 individual schools have received the kits so far, with 34 requests in the queue.
Dougherty said, “What we like to say is, you can’t treat someone if they’re not alive. So we want to make sure that people are doing the least harm to themselves.”
Dougherty says this program is funded in several ways, including from opioid settlement money that allows schools to access the kits for free. She says the next goal is to get supplies to schools that have not specifically requested them.
“Schools are often community gathering places their school plays, their sporting events, their voting, you know, all kinds of things that happen in schools, so it’s not necessarily just about the students, but we are concerned about the students as well,” Dougherty said.
In OSSU, Davis says they’re working on the logistics of how students would get access to the supplies.
He said, “We will be coming up with more of an overarching policy for how to distribute them in a way that families in our districts are comfortable with. And to reach the most people who may be in need.”
See here for more information on substance use and ways to get help.
