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Digital News Report – There are nearly 94,000 students enrolled in California public schools with epilepsy.
New legislation initiated by state Senator Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) may save lives. The senator introduced SB 161 which gives school district employees the right to administer a pre-dosed preparation of diazepam gel to students experiencing an epileptic seizure.
Huff said that allowing teachers and nurses to administer the “safe and effective” treatment was once “standard operating procedure”. “That changed two years ago when a nursing education consultant to the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) arbitrarily decided that school nurses were not authorized to train or supervise anyone to administer this life-saving medication.”
Now schools are left to call 911 or having school administrators administer Diastat. This delay worries Huff and other lawmakers. “This delay places these children in grave danger, since Diastat treatment must be administered immediately after a seizure has begun,” Huff said.
Diastat is designed to be administered by people with no medical training. Huff said that his legislation will allow employees who are trained to administer the drug. “It’s time that we put the health and safety needs of our children first,” Huff added.
By Mark Williams