EpiPens Distributed to Bibb Schools in Case of Emergency

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Teachers at Howard High School got a crash course in how to use a device that could one day save their students’ lives.

The Bibb County School District received 86 free EpiPen auto-injectors to distribute to schools.
The devices are used to inject epinephrine into the bloodstream in case of a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Junior EpiPens are for smaller students, and regular EpiPens are for students weighing more than 66 pounds. Schoolhouse Health Program Coordinator Stacy Carr says the devices are a safe and easy way to fight an allergic reaction while waiting for an ambulance.

“They’re very easy to use, they’re safe,” says Carr. “Doctors say there are no adverse reactions to these being used at all;  immediately 911 is called, because the person has to be checked out at the hospital, and all that’s covered in the training–but oftentimes you need more than one dose so this just buys us some time before you get medical attention.”

Georgia is one of seven states that allows EpiPens to be in stock at school. State law currently does allow school staff to give the drug in case of an emergency to students who don’t have a prescription for it.