MIDLAND, Texas — As more people overdose on Fentanyl laced drugs in the U.S., schools are looking to trains nurses to administer Naloxone, also known as Narcan, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses.
Last year, there were nearly 100,000 overdose deaths and out of that number around 1,300 of those deaths were teens.
Paul Colwell, Director of Marketing at the Springboard Center says having Naloxone in the schools could save a students life. "so having naloxone at the school, let's just say it'd be administered by the school nurse. If the school nurse is trained and understands the warning signs and behaviors and the physical symptoms of being in a overdose, then they could administer naloxone to give them a greater chance to survive if they are overdosing."
According to Colwell, this nationwide problem with teens overdosing is only getting worse. "Let parents and community members know that we're not immune from that right here in West Texas. So the same problems that exist nationally are affecting us locally as well," he says.
At the Springboard Center, they've seen more patients of all ages dealing with overdoses related to fentanyl laced drugs. "Kids experiment with things and they think they're taking a Percocet or Xanax or OxyContin and unbeknownst to them they're taking a pill that's counterfeit and is laced with Fentanyl," says Colwell.
With teens being affected greater, Colwell does want parents to be mindful of their kids behaviors, "as a parent, be on the lookout of any changed behavior. If your kids are exhibiting any signs of clammy, pasty, sweaty; those are definitely signs of being on an opioid type of drug."