NJ county enlists school bus drivers in fight against opioid overdoses

The fight to stop deadly drug overdoses is now on school buses in one South Jersey county.

In response to the growing opioid epidemic, Camden County officials have announced they will provide naloxone kits to school bus drivers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2021 there were over 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. One study showed that in most cases bystanders are typically present, if those bystanders had been provided the right tools they could have potentially saved a life.

In 2021, the CDC reported more than 3,000 of those deadly opioid-involved overdoses happened in New Jersey.

Now, Camden County is taking the initiative to make overdose reversal medication more accessible.

Camden County Board of Commissioners joined by law enforcement and other public officials announced in a news conference Tuesday that after several incidents of students overdosing in school settings and on school buses, it's important to distribute naloxone kits.

If you or someone you know is struggling with drug addiction, call the national hotline for drug abuse at 1-888-633-3239 to receive information regarding treatment and recovery.

“We need to keep this medicine on hand in every corner of our community because you never know when you are going to need it," Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement. "Unfortunately, we know that it is possible to lose a child to overdose in a school setting – and most recently on a school bus - so distributing these kits and training school staff is a measure we must take to keep our children safe.”

Currently, there are four school districts across the county that are participating in the program and 104 bus drivers have been trained to administer naloxone. The goal is that eventually, these kits will be available on every school bus, the county said.

So far, Camden County has spent $4,000 of opioid settlement funds for these kits and for the training of the bus drivers, according to county leaders. To fund the whole county it will cost about $25,000.

Naloxone kits have already been distributed at every school in Camden County, following the death of a 12-year-old boy who was poisoned by fentanyl.

The training in schools reached beyond school nurses, teachers and students are also trained to know how to use the naloxone kit in case of an emergency, officials said.

Naloxone -- commonly known by the brand name Narcan -- is a medication designed to reverse an overdose from opioids — including heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioid medications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Naloxone can be given in two ways -- a prefilled nasal spray or an injectable.

Even after getting a dose of naloxone, it's important for additional professional medical help to be provided afterward.

“The message is clear, and the imminent threat is real in Camden County, there is no such thing as a long-term fentanyl user,” Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay said in a statement. “The increasingly deadly threat of fentanyl continues to have devastating impacts on individuals, families, and communities across the country, and Camden County is no exception."