The Colorado Youth Advisory Council will be allowed to present to the State Board of Health twice a year about youth opioid issues and other health concerns. The Board must also consult the Council when making rules about opioid overdose medications (called opioid antagonists).
Right now, schools can choose to have opioid overdose medications on hand (like naloxone) and train staff to give them to anyone overdosing, including students. Students can also be trained to give the medication.
This bill would:
Allow schools to store opioid overdose medications in defibrillator cabinets (the same places where AEDs are kept) at school or on buses.
Remove the current rule that staff must be trained before giving someone an opioid overdose medication.
Allow staff to give the medication to a student who hasn’t been trained if they believe the student could help someone experiencing an overdose.
Currently, there’s a specific list of groups who can receive prescriptions for opioid overdose medications. This bill removes that list and requires the State Board of Health to create a new one.
The bill also creates a standing order (a broad approval) for all eligible groups to distribute opioid overdose medications.
Finally, the Department of Public Health and Environment will have to report on youth overdose prevention efforts during annual legislative hearings (SMART Act hearings).
Summary
The bill requires the state board of health (board) to allow the
Colorado youth advisory council to present to the board twice a year on issues regarding the youth opioid epidemic and other health issues. The bill also requires the board to consult the council when the board engages in its rule-making authority regarding opioid antagonists.
Under current law, a school district, the state charter school
institute, or a governing board of a nonpublic school may adopt and implement a policy that allows:
•
A school to acquire and maintain a stock supply of opioid antagonists on school grounds or on a school bus;
•
A school employee or agent who has received relevant training to administer an opioid antagonist to a person who is at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose; and
•
A school employee or agent to furnish an opioid antagonist to any individual, including a student, if the student has received relevant training.
The bill: •
Permits a school to maintain an opioid antagonist in an automated external defibrillator or defibrillator cabinet in the school or on a school bus;
•
Repeals the requirement that a school employee or agent must receive training prior to administering an opioid antagonist; and
•
Creates an exception that a school employee or agent may furnish an opioid antagonist to a student who has not received relevant training if the employee or agent believes that the student is in a position to assist an individual who is suffering from an opioid-related drug overdose event or who is at risk of experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose event.
Current law provides a specific list of eligible entities that a
prescriber may prescribe or dispense an opioid antagonist to. The bill eliminates the specific list and instead requires the state board of health to establish a list of eligible entities that a prescriber may prescribe or dispense an opioid antagonist to.
The bill creates a standing order allowing all eligible entities to
distribute opioid antagonists.
The bill requires the department of public health and environment
to furnish a report detailing youth overdose prevention during SMART Act hearings. 1
