Legislative Update - Senate Bill 1266 Emergency Epi Pen

Senate Bill 1266 (Huff) Requirement to provide emergency epinephrine auto-injectors

 

Existing law authorizes a school district or county office of education to provide emergency epinephrine auto-injectors to trained personnel, and authorizes trained personnel to use epinephrine auto-injectors to provide emergency medical aid to persons suffering from an anaphylactic reaction. Existing law authorizes each public and private elementary and secondary school in the state to designate one or more school personnel on a voluntary basis to receive initial and annual refresher training regarding the storage and emergency use of an epinephrine auto-injector, as specified. Existing law authorizes a school nurse, or a person who has received the training described above if the school does not have a school nurse, to, among other things, obtain a prescription for epinephrine auto-injectors.

 

This bill would instead require school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to provide emergency epinephrine auto-injectors to school nurses and trained personnel who have volunteered, as specified, and would authorize school nurses and trained personnel to use epinephrine auto-injectors to provide emergency medical aid to persons suffering, or reasonably believed to be suffering, from an anaphylactic reaction. The bill would require school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to distribute a notice requesting volunteers at least once a year. The bill would require a qualified supervisor of health or administrator at a school district, county office of education, or charter school to obtain the prescription for epinephrine auto-injectors from an authorizing physician and surgeon, as defined, and would authorize the prescription to be filled by local or mail order pharmacies or epinephrine auto-injector manufacturers. The bill would require epinephrine auto-injectors to be stocked and restocked by the qualified supervisor of health or administrator in accordance with specified provisions. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.