Bill would put opiate antidote in NJ high schools

Nurses and other designated faculty would carry a heroin and opiate antidote in all New Jersey schools if an Atlantic County legislator's bill becomes law.

Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo announced Tuesday he would introduce a bill mandating that all high schools in New Jersey, whether public, private or charter, have Narcan. The antidote, also known by its generic name, naloxone, reverses the effects of a heroin or opiate overdose, buying time for emergency responders to get the victim to a hospital.

LETHAL EPIDEMIC: Potent batch of heroin on South Jersey streets

"I think it's a no-brainer," said Patty DiRenzo, a Blackwood resident and member of the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force. DiRenzo, who lost her son, Sal Marchese, to an overdose in 2010, was an outspoken proponent of New Jersey's "Good Samaritan" law, allowing witnesses to call 911 in the event of an overdose without fear of arrest or prosecution for drug use or possession. She also lobbied to have police and first responders in the state equipped with Narcan doses.

Mazzeo, who told the Courier-Post he intends to introduce the legislation in September's session, said the bill would place primary responsibility for carrying and administering Narcan with school nurses. Other school employees would be offered training and designated to administer the antidote on a volunteer basis, as well.

The Northfield Democrat said the legislation carries the support of the New Jersey School Nurses Association, New Jersey School Boards Association and New Jersey Education Association.

"We've looked at the epidemic we're facing, and we're trying to be proactive in fighting it," Mazzeo said. "Hopefully, no schools will ever have to use it."

Mazzeo said he believes the bill would get bipartisan support, and ultimately be signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie.

"This is not a Republican or a Democratic problem," he said. "This is a problem affecting families all over New Jersey."

Pine Hill Police Chief Christopher Winters, a member of Camden County's addictions task force, said discussions are already underway in some South Jersey districts.

"Our relationship with the schools here is tremendous," Winters said. "We've been working for some time to make this happen."

Pine Hill Schools Superintendent Dr. Ken Koczur said the district would follow the police department's lead.

"As long as they support it, we support it," he said. While he did not recall any overdoses or related incidents within Pine Hill schools, he agreed with taking a proactive approach.

Parents who might be alarmed at a heroin antidote in their children's schools should "take a step back," Winters said.

"It's not only for the students; it could be an accidental thing, or it could be a parent or employee or someone who is just near the school," he said.

"Just like nurses have an EpiPen (which injects life-saving epinephrine in extreme allergic reactions), this is another tool. Why not have this life-saving tool, when it's so easy to administer?"

That's the point, DiRenzo said.

"The bottom line is saving lives. If we can save a kid who overdoses in a bathroom or on a bus or wherever, their parents will thank us."

Phaedra Trethan: (856) 486-2417; ptrethan@gannettnj.com