Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lead nurse presents first reading to add intranasal epinephrine to district health manual
Summary
Lead Nurse Laura Bietti told the board that newly approved intranasal epinephrine will be added to the district health manual as a first reading; School Health Connect will supply two adult and two lower-dose units per school and replace used or expired doses.
Lead Nurse Laura Bietti presented a first reading of proposed updates to the Logansport Community School Corporation health manual to allow intranasal epinephrine (a needle-free nasal spray) as an emergency medication option.
Laura Bietti, the district’s lead nurse, told the board that Indiana issues a standing order for emergency medications and that the newly approved nasal epinephrine is "just as effective as EpiPens." She described the district’s acceptance into School Health Connect, which supplies each school two doses of a 1-milligram formulation and two doses of a 2-milligram formulation (four doses total) and will replace doses if they expire or are used.
Board members asked practical questions about supply and deployment. One board member asked, "So what kind of supply would you keep on hand?" Bietti said elementary schools will carry the lower dose and the adult dose; middle and high schools will carry adult doses and up to two doses on site before calling 911. She estimated that resupply would come from School Health Connect and that turnaround would likely be quick, with one presenter suggesting an approximately 48-hour window for replacements.
Bietti emphasized the district would not replace injectables entirely: "I don't think EpiPens will ever go away," she said, noting that some students require dosing levels not matched by a nasal product. She further referenced Indiana’s Good Samaritan guidance, saying that as long as staff act in good faith they can administer these medications even without an individual physician order.
What this means: The health-manual update was placed on first reading; administrators said they will continue training designated staff so both injectable EpiPens and nasal epinephrine are available as appropriate at each school. The district also reported existing AED coverage at the high school (five devices on campus) and an offer from the local police department to refurbish additional units for the district.
Next steps: The board will consider the health-manual updates at a subsequent reading; administration will provide training updates and logistics for stocking and resupply.
