Health Director Donna Clark began working on implementing a Narcan policy in September 2022 after the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) deemed fentanyl a public health crisis.  New overdose emergency kits containing Narcan are located around the campus in case of an opioid overdose.

“There is an emergency kit located across the hall from the library,” high school nurse Rhonda Hamilton said. “One is also in the gym hallway, the second floor, the new auto tech building and one is located in the field house. I check them weekly to make sure they are working properly.” 

Narcan is a medication that works to reverse an overdose of opioids, including fentanyl.

“It attaches to opioid receptors and reverses and blocks the effects of other opioids,” Clark said. “It only works on overdoses caused by opioids. These are medications such as:  fentanyl, oxycontin, methadone, Vicodin and street drugs such as heroin. It will not reverse overdose resulting from non-opioid drugs such as cocaine, benzodiazepines or alcohol.”

In the emergency kit next to the library there is another medication called epinephrine. There is an adult dose and a child dose.

“Epinephrine is used to treat anaphylactic allergic reactions,” Hamilton said. “These reactions can be to food, medicine, insects or any other allergen that causes an individual’s airway to become constricted.”

Drug related deaths are now the leading cause of injury related deaths in the United States. In 2020, 883 people died in Texas from fentanyl-related overdose. That number increased to 1,672 in 2021.

“Fortunately, we have not had to use any of our emergency devices or medications,” Hamilton said. “We hope that we never have to, but we want to be prepared.”

Fake pills -that are made to look like prescription medication- are easy for students to purchase illegally. Some of these pills contain fentanyl or methamphetamines which can be deadly. Signs of overdose may include: small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”, face is extremely pale and/or feels cold or clammy to the touch, body goes limp, fingernails or lips have a purple or blue color, vomiting or making gurgling noises, cannot be awakened or unable to speak and breathing or heartbeat slows or stops.

“Our schools are responsible for anticipating and preparing to respond to many emergencies,” Clark said. “Narcan saves lives when it is administered in a timely manner. I believe in being proactive rather than reactive.”