Camden County wants to equip bus drivers with Narcan, after installing kits in most schools

The bright red metal Narcan kits are strategically placed in four locations at Highland Regional High School where they can be reached quickly in case of an emergency.

The South Jersey school system was among the first districts in Camden County equipped with the kits last fall in case a student needed the potentially lifesaving treatment after a suspected fentanyl overdose — and now it will be part of a pilot to provide the kits to school bus drivers beginning in September.

Since October, Camden County, believed to be the only county in New Jersey doing this, has installed the boxes in about 244 locations — including nearly every public, private, and parochial school in the county, said John D. Pellicane, director of the county’s Office of Mental Health and Addiction.

Besides schools, the county has added the boxes to churches, boarding houses, apartment complexes, shelters, food pantries, courtrooms, and social service facilities.

» READ MORE: Narcan will soon be available over-the-counter. Here’s what it is, where to get it in Philadelphia and how to use it

Located in Blackwood, Highland Regional has about 1,200 ninth through 12th graders and would be the first school to get them for bus drivers. Details still must be worked out on how the kits would be assigned to drivers and who would be responsible for bringing them on the bus daily as they transport students.

“I think it’s necessary,” said Highland Regional senior Gloria Simmons, 18, who plans to study sociology at Princeton University in the fall. “You’re trying to take care of the ‘what-ifs.’ Students nowadays don’t know what they’re consuming.”

County officials launched the Narcan program in response to the growing opioid crisis that claimed more than 350 lives in the county in 2022, according to statistics compiled by the state. A cheap synthetic opioid, fentanyl is 50 times as lethal as heroin. As Narcan has become more widely available, some experts say everyone should consider including it in their first aid kit. The county plans to add a geographic mapping system (GIS) to quickly locate where the nearest medication is located.

Camden County ranked only second in the state behind Essex County, with 2,041 Naloxone administrations in 2022 to people showing signs of an opioid overdose, according to statistics compiled by the state Attorney General. Burlington County had 605 administrations, and Gloucester County had 461.

Pellicane said schools have largely embraced the Narcan program after a slow start, with only a few religious schools and preschools in the county declining the kits. The county distributed the kits free to the schools, although they cost about $46,000 total.

“There was some pushback,” Pellicane said. Seminars were held and training conducted for more than 700 school employees, including teachers, nurses, janitors, and coaches, he said. Training may be provided for students in the next phase, he said.

At Highland Regional, the kits containing naloxone spray, the generic name for Narcan, which can reverse an overdose from opioids, was put in the library, the gym, a hallway frequented by students and teachers, and in a second-floor hallway.

“They’re visible,” said Caryelle Lasher, director of the county Department of Health and Human Services. “It’s hopefully empowering students and staff if there’s an emergency.”

Principal Ryan C. Varga said Narcan has been administered once since the kits were installed in October. Each kit, secured in a metal box, holds four doses, given as a nasal spray. The school also provided Narcan inhalers to its medical response team and athletic trainers, he said.

When Narcan is needed, the school activates a code blue, Varga said. School nurses monitor the person’s vitals and call 911 for an ambulance, he said. Highland has provided Narcan to its school nurse and resource officer since 2017.

County officials say having the kits readily accessible reduces the stigma attached to them. They compare them to having a defibrillator in the event of a cardiac emergency.

“Anyone can save a life,” Lasher said. “People should be on the lookout for Narcan boxes.”

In January 2022, a 12-year-old boy was found unresponsive on a school bus at nearby Gloucester Township Elementary School. A school nurse performed CPR until emergency responders arrived with Narcan.

The boy later died from what was ruled drug intoxication from fentanyl. His uncle was charged in his death for directing the boy to clean drug paraphernalia that contained fentanyl.

» READ MORE: Struggling with an addiction, or know someone who is? Here are ways to get help.

Under the program, police chiefs who distributed the kits to their local districts are expected to provide details about their use to the county in October for a year-end report, said county spokesman Dan Keashen. About half of the municipalities have so far reported not administering any naloxone, he said. The remaining municipalities have not yet reported either way.

“We gave them to every chief of police,” Pellicane said. “Some schools wanted more.”

For more information, visit www.camdencounty.com or call 856-374-6361.