Yavapai County Community Health Services is currently distributing Narcan kits to schools in the county in case of an opioid overdose emergency.
There have been no incidents in the Sedona-Oak Creek School District or at the Sedona Charter School that have required any kits to be used.
Narcan is the brand name for naloxone, a medicine that can rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Its availability has expanded in recent years as the narrative of an opioid epidemic has continued. The Food and Drug Administration approved naloxone nasal spray for over-the-counter, nonprescription use in March.
“We are aware of the increase in opioid use nationally and the potential life-saving effect Narcan can have on a patient who has experienced an opioid-related overdose,” SOCSD Assistant Superintendent Deana DeWitt said. “Our school resource officer, Michael Lucas of [the] Sedona Police Department, has received Narcan training and carries emergency doses of Narcan with him at all times. As we reconvene our crisis intervention and safety teams for the 2023-2024 school year, district needs will be analyzed and crisis response protocols will be reviewed and revised accordingly.”
Yavapai County Health Education Coordinator Patricia Robison said that there were five fentanyl deaths among teenagers in Yavapai County in 2023, a number that dropped to one in 2021, zero in 2022 and one, an 18-year-old, so far in 2023. Robison said that providing overdose prevention information to Beaver Creek School District students is helping prevent higher numbers.
“The YCCHS [has] not received any reports from schools of fatal fentanyl overdoses among students,” Robison said. “Providing Narcan to Yavapai County schools is a proactive, preventative measure.”
The true demand for naloxone by Yavapai County school nurses is unknown because schools have multiple sources to obtain it and are not required to report Narcan use to YCCHS.
“If an organization or an individual is interested in Narcan or overdose prevention training, they simply need to reach out to Yavapai County Community Health Services,” Robison said. “Additionally, YCCHS hosts Coffee with the County and health talks at various libraries where Narcan is made available. Narcan is available for free through MATForce, Sonora Prevention, the Community Health Center of Yavapai and Yavapai County Community Health Services. Additionally, anyone can purchase Narcan under the prescription name naloxone from their local pharmacy.”
