Prairie High School is working to make its students and staff aware of the dangers of fentanyl and equip them with tools to respond in emergency situations. On March 24, students attended an assembly with Sgt. Bill Sofianos from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. The assembly raised awareness of the potentially lethal effects of the drug and addressed why use has increased among young people nationwide.
After receiving this prevention education, students opted into training on the use of naloxone, an opioid-overdose reversal medication. Approximately 125 people–students, staff members, parents and guardians–signed up to be trained after school on March 28. The training was facilitated by HeLa High School student Katie Thornton and Prairie High School prevention/intervention specialists and administrators.
Clark County Public Health Nurse Brandy Benedict led the training. The training included how to tell if someone has overdosed (abnormal skin color, absence of breath, can’t be woken up); how to administer naloxone, which is safe to use even if someone does not have opioids in their system; actions to take (rescue breaths and call 911); and more. Each participant received two doses of naloxone, a rescue breath face shield and information about fentanyl and responding to an overdose.
Naloxone also is available in schools across the district. School nurses maintain a supply of the medication, and doses are available in storage boxes that will eventually be mounted at each school. The boxes were purchased with a $4,000 grant from the Battle Ground Education Foundation.
Battle Ground Public Schools nurses and security staff have been trained to administer naloxone. The district is exploring opportunities to provide training for all staff members as well as additional optional training sessions for students.
