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Bill introduced to add nasal epinephrine to schools’ stock-supply authorization
Summary
Representative Rosslyn Gold introduced H.209 to update state statute so that school stock supplies may include FDA-approved intranasal epinephrine in addition to auto-injectors; sponsor said the change responds to supply disruptions and new nasal products coming to market.
Representative Rosslyn Gold introduced H.209 on Wednesday to amend a statute that allows schools to maintain a stock supply of epinephrine for severe allergic reactions, adding language to cover recently approved intranasal epinephrine.
Gold told the committee that many Vermont school nurses had relied on a program that supplied auto-injectors for free, but that program was interrupted this year because of supply issues. “This year, the program was shut down due to supply issues,” Gold said, and manufacturers have since produced an FDA-approved nasal epinephrine product (referred to in testimony as “NEFE”) that schools would like to be able to use under the same statute.
Current statute language, as read during the hearing, references “auto injectors” and the bill would broaden that wording to permit both auto-injector and intranasal formulations when schools stock epinephrine and enter agreements with manufacturers to obtain them free or at reduced cost. Gold said the change aligns the law with clinical practice options and with requests from school nurses in her district.
Gold noted that the bill does not change requirements for administering medication to an individual student; a student-specific medical plan signed by a clinician would still be required where appropriate. Committee members questioned committee placement — whether the change is more properly considered by the House Health Care Committee — and asked for testimony from the Vermont School Nurses Association. The sponsor said she would arrange for that group to appear and to provide details about current stock-supply practice.
The committee did not take a vote; Gold and other members discussed sending the item forward for testimony and potential inclusion in a miscellaneous education package.
No formal fiscal estimate or procurement detail was provided during the introduction; committee members asked for clarification about whether schools currently maintain a stock supply of epinephrine and how the intranasal product would fit into existing stock and prescription protocols.
