PHOENIX — The Phoenix Union High School District invited community members to a town hall meeting Thursday night addressing the fentanyl crisis in our state.
The district’s lead nurse Orchid Lopez says she spent over 30 years as a flight nurse and responded to many overdoses throughout her career. When she joined PXU in 2017, it was her goal was to implement a Narcan program, which is a lifesaving medicine for Fentanyl.
“We want our parents to be involved," Lopez said. "We really want them to know what’s really out there because it’s always about, not my child.”
Just within the past six months, they’ve expanded training and put Narcan in the hands of not just school nurses, but campus administrators, athletic trainers and other school personnel.
“We have had to respond to situations, very rare events, all with good outcomes,” Lopez said. “We know it’s a crisis across the country and we want to make sure we are trained and ready to respond.”
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Arizona State Senator Christine Marsh and health experts were in attendance.
