Bill > AB340

Introduced Session

Legislative Counsel's Digest: Existing law authorizes certain physicians, physician assistants and advanced 1 practice registered nurses to prescribe and dispense an opioid antagonist to a person 2 at risk of experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose, or to a family member, 3 friend or other person who is in a position to assist a person experiencing an opioid-4 related drug overdose. (Chapter 453C of NRS, NRS 453C.100) Existing law also 5 authorizes certain health care professionals to issue an order for auto-injectable 6 epinephrine to a public or private school to be maintained at the school for the 7 treatment of anaphylaxis that may be experienced by any pupil at the school. (NRS 8 630.374, 632.239, 633.707) Section 1of this bill authorizes certain health care 9 professionals to issue such an order for opioid antagonists to a public or private 10 school for the treatment of an opioid-related drug overdose that may be experienced 11 by any person at the school. Section 1also provides that a health care professional 12 is not subject to disciplinary action for issuing such an order to a school. 13 Existing law requires each public school, including each charter school, to 14 obtain an order from certain health care professionals for auto-injectable 15 epinephrine to maintain the drug at the school. (NRS 386.870) Existing law 16 similarly authorizes a private school to obtain and maintain auto-injectable 17 epinephrine at the school. (NRS 394.1995) Sections 4and 7of this bill authorize a 18 public or private school to obtain an order for an opioid antagonist. If a public or 19 private school obtains such an order, sections 2, 4and 7of this bill authorize a 20 school nurse or other designated employee of the public or private school, as 21 applicable, who has received training in the storage and administration of opioid 22 antagonists to administer an opioid antagonist to any person on the premises of the 23 school who is reasonably believed to be experiencing an opioid-related drug 24 overdose. Section 3of this bill: (1) establishes requirements relating to the storage, 25 handling and transportation of opioid antagonists in public schools; and (2) requires 26 each school district and charter school to report to the Division of Public and 27 Behavioral Health of the Department of Health and Human Services the number of 28 doses of opioid antagonists administered at each public school during each school 29 year. Sections 4and 7require the board of trustees of each school district and the 30 governing body of each charter or private school that obtains an order for an opioid 31 antagonist to establish a policy to ensure: (1) that someone seeks emergency 32 assistance each time a person experiences an opioid-related drug overdose on the 33 premises of the school; and (2) the parent or guardian of a pupil to whom an opioid 34 antagonist is administered is notified as soon as practicable. Sections 4-7of this bill 35 require training in the storage and administration of opioid antagonists to be 36 provided to designated employees of a public or private school that obtains an order 37 for an opioid antagonist. Sections 4and 7exempt a school, school district, 38 employee of a school and certain other persons affiliated with a school from 39 liability for certain damages relating to the acquisition, possession, provision or 40 administration of an opioid antagonist or auto-injectable epinephrine not amounting 41 to gross negligence or reckless, willful or wanton conduct. 42 Section 8of this bill requires a registered pharmacist to transfer an order for an 43 opioid antagonist to another registered pharmacist at the request of a public or 44 private school for which the order was issued. Section 8also exempts a pharmacist 45 who dispenses an opioid antagonist pursuant to such an order from liability for 46 certain damages relating to the acquisition, possession, provision or administration 47 of an opioid antagonist not amounting to gross negligence or reckless, willful or 48 wanton conduct. 49 SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Chapter 453C of NRS is hereby amended by adding 1 thereto a new section to read as follows: 2 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a health care 3 professional authorized to prescribe an opioid antagonist may 4 issue to a public or private school an order to allow the school to 5 obtain and maintain an opioid antagonist at the school, regardless 6 of whether any person at the school has been diagnosed with a 7 condition which may cause the person to require such medication 8 for the treatment of an opioid-related drug overdose. 9 2. An order issued pursuant to subsection 1 must contain: 10 (a) The name and signature of the health care professional 11 and the address of the health care professional if not immediately 12 available to the pharmacist; 13 (b) The classification of the license of the health care 1 professional; 2 (c) The name of the public or private school to which the order 3 is issued; 4 (d) The name, strength and quantity of the opioid antagonist 5 authorized to be obtained and maintained by the order; and 6 (e) The date of issue. 7 3. A health care professional is not subject to disciplinary 8 action solely for issuing a valid order pursuant to subsection 1 to a 9 public or private school and without knowledge of a specific 10 natural person who requires the medication. 11 4. A health care professional is not liable for any error or 12 omission concerning the acquisition, possession, provision or 13 administration of an opioid antagonist maintained by a public 14 or private school pursuant to an order issued by the health care 15 professional pursuant to subsection 1 not resulting from gross 16 negligence or reckless, willful or wanton conduct of the health 17 care professional. 18 5. As used in this section: 19 (a) Private school has the meaning ascribed to it in 20 NRS 394.103. 21 (b) Public school has the meaning ascribed to it in 22 NRS 385.007. 23 Sec. 2. NRS 454.303 is hereby amended to read as follows: 454.303 A school nurse or other employee of a public or 25 private school who is authorized pursuant to NRS 386.870 or 26 394.1995 to administer auto-injectable epinephrine or an opioid 27 antagonist may possess and administer auto-injectable epinephrine 28 or an opioid antagonist, as applicable, maintained by the school if 29 the school nurse or other employee has received training in the 30 proper storage and administration of auto-injectable epinephrine or 31 the opioid antagonist, as applicable, as required by NRS 386.870 or 32 394.1995. 33

AI Summary

Committee Categories

John Hambrick (R)*,  Robin Titus (R)*,  Jim Wheeler (R)*,  John Ellison (R),  Al Kramer (R), 

(No further action taken.) (on 06/04/2019)

Official Document