Illinois Schools Authorized to
Keep Medication on Hand to Treat Students’ Respiratory Distress
Under newly funded state program, IDPH
standing order permits schools to stock “undesignated” asthma
medication for use in emergencies
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[March 20, 2024]
Illinois
Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Sameer Vohra has
signed a standing order allowing trained personnel in Illinois
schools to use “undesignated” asthma inhalers on hand to treat
students who develop respiratory distress. Undesignated medications
are those that are not prescribed for a specific student but can be
used in an emergency to address any student’s symptoms related to
asthma or other respiratory issues.
This order provides the prescription necessary so that every school
in the state can have and use this critical medication for asthma
attacks at school. Prior to the issuance of the statewide standing
order, each school had to seek out and secure their own standing
order from a physician in their area. The IDPH standing order
streamlines that process and will make it easier for public and
private schools in the state to obtain those medications.
“As a pediatrician, I have witnessed how important access to
albuterol inhalers can be to save lives,” said Director Vohra.
“Inhalers and medications like albuterol are essential treatments to
treat severe asthma attacks in students diagnosed with asthma but
also in individuals who may not even know they have it. The Governor
and General Assembly’s leadership has led to statewide funding for
schools to have these undesignated inhalers for their students. This
standing order now removes the last hurdle. Illinois schools now
have all the tools to obtain, stock, and administer this life-saving
medication.”
Under the standing order, when a student known to have asthma or one
with no prior history exhibits signs of severe respiratory distress,
a school nurse or other trained personnel may administer an approved
quick-relief medication such as albuterol through a metered-dose
inhaler (MDI). If such medication is administered, the school is
required to promptly notify the student’s parents or guardian.
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RESCUE Illinois Schools has now
provided medication, equipment, and an implementation handbook
to more than 3,100, or approximately 80 percent of Illinois
public schools. During the first five months of the program, 126
schools in 96 school districts, covering parts of 33 Illinois
counties, reported administering the medication to students in
respiratory distress, ranging from 5 to 17 years of age. Of
those cases, 79 percent of students were able to return to
class, 20 percent went home with a parent or guardian for the
day, and only two students were transported to hospitals.
“Governor Pritzker, the General Assembly, and IDPH have not just
taken the next logical step in keeping children healthy and in
school, but they have become absolute leaders across the
country,” said Chris Martinez, CEO of AAFA-MidStates. “Every
other state in the nation is watching Illinois run this program,
in anticipation of helping their schoolchildren in a similar
way. I believe Illinois has, and will continue to, embrace this
leadership role.”
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The IDPH standing order is in effect through February
of 2025 and will be reviewed and updated annually.
The standing order will enhance the efforts of the
RESCUE Illinois Schools program, which was established following the
enactment of the asthma medication law, Public Act 100-0726, in
2018. RESCUE is an initiative of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation
of America – MidStates Chapter (AAFA-MidStates), in partnership with
the Respiratory Health Association (RHA). AAFA-MidStates worked to
secure a $2.4 million appropriation in the FY23 Illinois state
budget to fund the program statewide.
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information] |