On Tuesday, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed bills into law paving the way for epinephrine auto-injectors to be stocked at public schools throughout the state beginning with the 2014-2015 school year.
Taken together, House Bills 4352 and 4353 provide for the following:
- Mandate that at least two epinephrine auto-injectors be stocked at each public school;
- Mandate that at least two staff members for public schools with staffs of 10 or more or one staff member for smaller schools be trained in the administration of epinephrine;
- Mandate that students be allowed to self-carry prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors and/or asthma inhalers in school and when participating in school activities;
- Allow prescribers to prescribe epinephrine and pharmacists to dispense epinephrine in the name of the school board;
- Shield school administration and staff for all schools public and private, prescribers and pharmacists from liability related to the above.
Lisa Rutter, founder of the No Nuts Moms Group, was present at the signing with her family.
We at SnackSafely.com applaud the efforts of the Michigan legislature and governor to safeguard all Michigan students from anaphylaxis – a serious and sometimes fatal reaction to allergens in food and the environment. The Michigan legislation serves as a model for other states in the wake of the signing of the federal School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act into law by President Obama. We encourage all remaining states to move quickly to adopt similar legislation.
- House Bills 4352 and 4353 – Michigan Legislature
- Snyder signs bills requiring epinephrine injectors and creating student hotline – LegalNews.com
- Schools now required to stock epinephrine injectors – Oakland Press
As a fellow Michigander who faithfully contacted all my local representatives and Gov. Snyder. I’m super happy our state has realized the need for common sense safety precautions for epinephrine and training in schools. Now to fine tune other key safety precautions needed…. 🙂