The L.A. Trust supports LAUSD Narcan policy update

Overdose deaths in the United States have skyrocketed in recent years, fueled in large part by an exponential rise in synthetic opioid use, primarily fentanyl. In 2016 the National Institute of Health reported fentanyl as the number one killer in overdoses, with about 20,000 deaths. Five years later in 2021, that number rose to almost 70,000 overdose deaths. With the nation seeking answers, headlines report students overdosing in Los Angeles schools, including a 15-year-old who passed on in a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school bathroom.

In response to this crisis, the LAUSD announced that schools will be provided with naloxone, a nasal spray that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The district is providing Narcan, a brand name for naloxone, and has trained staff on its proper administration. As part of this ongoing effort, LAUSD also announced plans to update its policy permitting students to carry Narcan. This step will ensure the safety and well-being of at-risk students and demonstrates the district's proactive, compassionate, and practical response to the opioid crisis.

The LAUSD Narcan student policy update received enthusiastic support from numerous student advocacy organizations, including The Los Angeles Trust for Children's Health (The L.A. Trust), Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, UCLA Health, Azusa Pacific University, and Youth Health Services. The L.A. Trust was proud to be a part of the coalition that called for district-wide access to Narcan. As a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of students in the district, The L.A. Trust sees Narcan access and availability as another tool to keep our students safe, preventing overdoses and saving lives.

Used correctly, Narcan blocks the brain receptors that respond to opioids like heroin, oxycodone, and fentanyl. Administered as a nasal mist, Narcan reverses the symptoms of an overdose such as shallow breathing, slowed heart rate or unresponsiveness, and can help stabilize the user until medical personnel arrive on the scene.

The L.A. County Department of Public Health also added their voice to the calls for Narcan, strengthening the coalition’s shared cause and ultimately shaping policy. LAUSD Chief Medical Director Dr. Malhotra said, “Collaboration among these organizations proved to be more effective than going alone, and we are grateful for each other's backup. Overall, the efforts of these outside influences were crucial in shaping this Narcan policy update.”

While having Narcan readily available in schools can mean the difference between life and death, some individuals have opposed its use in schools due to concerns it would encourage student drug use. However, research has shown that Narcan does not lead to an increase in drug abuse. In fact, some studies have shown that the use of Narcan can reduce opioid abuse. In addition, Narcan can cause opioid withdrawal symptoms, which is an effective abuse deterrent.

It is important to remember that Narcan is not a cure for opioid addiction, and nothing can replace comprehensive addiction treatment and support to address its root cause. Having Narcan readily available can, however, be a critical step in saving lives.

We must continue working together to protect young people from further losses caused by the opioid epidemic. Advocacy efforts like ours and the subsequent policy changes, such as this one taken by LAUSD, are critical to providing potentially life-saving treatment, in which every second counts. It is inspiring to see such collaboration among dedicated individuals and groups who are passionate about improving student health and safety in our schools.

Fighting substance use through awareness and peer education

Vaping is rampant among L.A. students. According to the CDC, more than 30% of L.A. County high school students have reported using e-cigarettes. 

The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health is working with partner Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and funder California Community Foundation to educate and prevent substance use  among Los Angeles Unified students.  

“This is one of our most urgent initiatives,” said Robert Renteria, program manager for The L.A. Trust. “Whether it’s vaping tobacco or using marijuana, alcohol, methamphetamine or opioids, substances are a real threat to our student community —one that’s likely to have grown during the pandemic.” 

The Wellness & Adolescent Substance Use Prevention Project (WASUP) substance use prevention partnership includes Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) training and peer education by student health advocates from The L.A. Trust’s Student Advisory Boards.  

WASUP training for school-based healthcare professionals included a series of webinars discussing vaping and SBIRT. The  SBIRT project  — designed to increase the screening tool’s utilization in L.A. Unified Wellness Center clinics — was deployed at five such clinics, reaching nearly 2,700 students.  

Peer education  

 A toolkit for conducting a preliminary scan of the substance use situation at schools — Conducting a SBIRT Environmental Scan at Your School-Based Health Center — was published last year by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and The L.A. Trust.  

The toolkit “reflects lessons learned by The L.A. Trust and CHLA during a multiyear initiative to integrate SBIRT into five school-based health centers across South Los Angeles. Funding for this project was provided by the California Community Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.”   

WASUP includes student health advocates and Student Advisory Board members like former Manual Arts High School student Melissa Riaz Reynolds, who is now in college.   

She said her favorite part of being a WASUP advocate was “presenting to the leadership class about underage drinking and making safe decisions.  

“It helped a lot with my personal life as most students are curious and like to experiment, so I am constantly surrounded by drugs or people who abuse drugs,” she said. “The WASUP project taught me how to handle certain situations and protect myself and those around me.” 

As vaping epidemic grows, educators and healthcare providers join forces

LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner appeared with students and educators outside Federal Court to announce a class-action vaping lawsuit.

L.A. School Superintendent Austin Beutner stood on the courthouse steps in downtown Los Angeles October 29, 2019 to declare war on vaping. Flanked by educators, students and community leaders, Beutner announced a class-action lawsuit to hold industry-leading vape-pen manufacturer Juul “accountable for the role it has played in creating an epidemic that affects the health of our students, disrupts student learning and is taking money away from our core mission—educating students.” 

“We are here to join others in the cause to stop this epidemic,” Beutner said. “The money we are spending to deal with the trauma vaping is bringing into our schools is money not spent on instruction.”

Tobacco use prevention and education (TUPE) is one of the top missions of The L.A. Trust, which brings the worlds of education and healthcare together to tackle urgent challenges facing more than 600,000 students in the LAUSD. 

The crisis is urgent, Renteria said. Student cigarette smoking has declined sharply in the past few decades, but total tobacco use — driven by vaping — is on the rise. A federal survey shows 27.5% of high school students have used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days.

Vaping 101

Dozens of school-based health professionals joined The L.A. Trust and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles November 13 for its latest outreach, a webinar called “Vaping 101” hosted by L.A. Trust Program Manager Robert Renteria and featuring Stephan Lambert, prevention education coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education. It’s the first in a series of three Wellness & Adolescent Substance Use Prevention (WASUP) webinars hosted by Children’s Hospital and The L.A.Trust.

Watch the webinar now

As of November 13, health officials in 49 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have 2,172 cases of vaping-related lung illness. Forty-two deaths have been reported from 24 states and the District of Columbia.

The L.A. Trust works with the LAUSD’s Beyond the Bell Branch on vaping abatement programs that give students facts about the health dangers of vaping, and resources to foster peer-to-peer conversations that promote cessation. The L.A. Trust also works with Student Advisory Board members, adult allies and staff at LAUSD Wellness Centers to coordinate education, train advocates, provide treatment referrals, sponsor outreach events and publicize the dangers of cigarette smoking and vaping in social media.