New York State Schools to Receive Naloxone Kits

Schools across New York will soon be able to obtain a heroin overdose antidote.

State officials say money appropriated in the recently-approved budget will help to provide naloxone kits to school districts.

Funding also will cover the cost of training school personnel in administering the antidote to a person whose life may be endangered by a heroin overdose.

Dr. Howard Zucker, New York's acting health commissioner, said as many people as possible should be trained to identify and reverse heroin overdoses.

Zucker said the funding included in the state budget will help to ensure that school nurses and other employees have the skills and resources to help respond to possible heroin overdoses.

Many police agencies and other emergency responders have been equipped with naloxone over the past year in an effort to reduce the number of heroin overdose deaths.