Narcan Should Be In Every High School: Camden County Officials

Camden County officials are pushing to make the drug used to prevent heroin overdoses available in every high school.

The Board of Freeholders and the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force will join Black Horse Pike Regional School Superintendent Brian Repici on Wednesday to introduce model legislation to supply Narcan in all high schools.

The event will take place at the Triton Regional High School Library, 250 Schubert Ave., in Runnemede.

At the end of last year, the school district and its school board passed a regulation that would allow school nurses to carry and deploy Naloxone if a student or employee is experiencing an overdose. Prior to this regulation the medication was not carried in the schools.

Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli pointed to the work Repici is doing as innovative and a model for every other high school in New Jersey.

“The heroin epidemic has hit home for every family in Camden County and it’s time we recognize the benefit of having this life saving antidote in our schools,” Cappelli said. “Brian and the board have done the right thing by putting the health and welfare of his student body first and having his medical professionals trained for any situation that could occur on their campuses. Our goal is for all high schools to follow Brian’s lead and carry Naloxone for their respected student body.”

The Black Horse Pike Regional School District is made up of three high schools, Triton, Highland and Timber Creek.

Since its inception in 2015, the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force has distributed over 30,000 pieces of educational literature throughout the county, held community awareness and educational events with over 10,000 attendees, and worked with local law enforcement to expand access to medication drop boxes.

In addition, the task force’s Narcan/naloxone training program has equipped over 800 residents with overdose prevention kits, and provided every law enforcement agency in Camden County with Narcan, resulting in almost 1,000 Narcan saves countywide.

Patch file photo