Thanks to the STOP-IT Task Force’s efforts and state agency partnerships, Arizona schools will receive over 16,000 Narcan kits.
In a major step to combat the growing fentanyl crisis among school-aged children, Arizona education officials announced that more than 16,000 lifesaving Narcan kits will be distributed to schools across the state.
Multi-agency effort brings life-saving resources to campuses
The initiative, spearheaded by State Superintendent Tom Horne’s School Training Overdose Preparedness and Intelligence Taskforce (STOP-IT), represents an unprecedented collaboration between state agencies. The Arizona Department of Health Services secured the Narcan kits at no cost to the state, while the Arizona National Guard will assist the Department of Education in delivering them to schools statewide.
“Lives will be saved because these kits will be in schools throughout Arizona,” Horne said in a November 14 press release. “The STOP-IT Task Force has done incredible work to address the Fentanyl crisis among school-aged children.”
Training and ongoing support
The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) will provide training on using the kits. Each school’s package includes training resources, county health agency contact information, and QR codes linking to real-time training on Naloxone resources.
“We can offer confidence in the safety of our school campuses and parental peace of mind,” said Dr. Holly Geyer, STOP-IT Co-Chairman and Addiction Medicine Specialist at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale.
Distribution to all 15 Arizona counties began last week, with plans for ongoing kit replenishment through a partnership between the Department of Education and AHCCCS.
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This story was generated in part by AI and edited by The Copper Courier staff.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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