Every school should have naloxone overdose kits, NYC councilman says

New York, along with the rest of the country, is dealing with the opioid crisis. Now a city councilman wants every public school to stock naloxone nasal-spray kits.

The purpose would be to help a parent who might come into the school overdosing or a child who accidentally takes a pill to save a life, according to Council Member Rafael Salamanca of the Bronx.

Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan and Evzio, is a medication that can block the effects of an opioid overdose.

The City Council's education committee is holding a hearing next month on Salamanca's bill. He first proposed Narcan kits in every school last year but said the bill was met with resistance from Bill de Blasio's administration.

Under his proposal, every school employee in every public school would be trained to administer Narcan.

"We review the latest data to ensure schools are equipped with the necessary resources and work with those schools," the city's Department of Education said in a statement. "We look forward to discussing this important issue with the City Council."