ALBANY – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Wednesday announced that New York State will begin providing naloxone kits to schools statewide in its continued fight against opioid addiction.
The governor said that by making this investment to provide naloxone kits and training for schools, the state is continuing to save lives in the fight against opioid use and addiction.
The increased availability of naloxone, a medication which reverses an opioid overdose, is one of the priorities at the center of Governor Cuomo’s fight to end opioid abuse in New York State. When administered, it can reverse the effects of an overdose by temporarily blocking the effects of the opioid, allowing the individual to regain consciousness and resume normal breathing.
It poses no danger to persons who otherwise might come into contact with it and it is not the kind of medication that can be abused.
Included as part of the 2015-16 New York State Budget, $272,000 in funding will be used to offer training for school nurses and other personnel from the state’s approximately 3,000 school districts. Those who complete the training will receive naloxone kits for their schools.
There are currently more than 45,000 first responders and community members trained in the use of naloxone when an opioid overdose occurs, and more than 500 lives have been saved in the last year alone.
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