Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education:school Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Health, education officials back adding intranasal epinephrine to school stock but caution against requiring school nurses as gatekeepers
Summary
The Department of Health and Agency of Education told the Senate Education Committee they support expanding authorized epinephrine formulations in schools (including intranasal products) but recommended avoiding language that would make a school nurse the sole authorizing agent, citing nurse staffing shortages and equity concerns.
Department of Health and Agency of Education witnesses told the Senate Education Committee on April 10 they support proposed bill H.209’s expansion to allow intranasal epinephrine in school emergency stock but recommended narrower language on who may hold and administer stock so schools without full‑time nurses are not excluded.
Elisa Stahlberg, Director for Family and Child Health at the Vermont Department of Health, said the department and AOE “are absolutely in favor of this,” describing epinephrine as “a life‑saving medicine” and noting that some free stock donation programs are providing intranasal products.
Witnesses recommended defining epinephrine in the statute as a “single‑use epinephrine delivery system approved by the Food and Drug Administration” so future formulations are covered. They also recommended keeping the school administrator as the entity accountable to accept and manage a school’s stock prescription and ensuring that any person who administers the medication be properly trained and designated, rather than making the school nurse the statutory gatekeeper.
Caitlin Cozas, state school nurse consultant (Vermont Department of Health), and Jessica Chifane, policy director (Department of Health), told the committee that many districts do not have a full‑time nurse in every building and that adding nurse‑specific obligations could unintentionally create access barriers. The witnesses noted that state education quality standards set expectations for school nurse staffing (the testimony cited a standards provision of no more than 500 students per school nurse and pro rata requirements for smaller schools), but they warned that statutory language that presumes a full‑time nurse “may create barriers for schools who don't have a school nurse.”
The witnesses suggested removing school‑nurse‑specific language from H.209, retaining district administrators’ accountability to hold the prescription and ensuring qualified, trained staff may administer stock in an emergency. They also said they would continue to consult with the Vermont State School Nurse Association; the committee encouraged the agencies and the nurse association to try to reach common language and return with a joint proposal.
No committee vote was taken at the hearing; the agencies said they would meet further with the nurse association and return with agreed wording if possible.
