CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Schools in West Virginia will be able to give drugs to students who overdose on opioids without having to first contact parents under a new law approved this week.
The measure passed unanimously by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Jim Justice comes as West Virginia recorded 844 overdose deaths last year, more than 700 involving at least one opioid such as heroin, fentanyl or prescription painkillers.
It was one of several West Virginia amendments to health care laws enacted over the past two weeks.
The law applies to public and private schools. It authorizes school nurses and other authorized personnel to administer the antidote to students, staff or others during regular school hours or at functions and events on school property.
The law takes effect 90 days from passage. The state Board of Education will develop regulations for training, storage and notifying parents after incidents.
Another new West Virginia law protects doctors and other licensed medical personnel from civil liability for providing free emergency care at school athletic events and practices. The protection doesn’t apply to “to acts or omissions constituting gross negligence or willful misconduct.”
Concerning health insurers’ step therapy protocols that first require the most cost-effective medication for a condition, another new law sets terms for exceptions. It requires carriers establish a process for requesting immediate coverage of the drugs a patient’s doctor prescribes instead of the other medication, often a cheaper generic equivalent.
