Bill would allow more EpiPen use in schools

A bill in the Iowa Legislature would give schools more freedom to use EpiPens when students have allergic reactions - potentially saving lives, advocates said.

Epinephrine auto-injectors - commonly known as EpiPens, after the brand name of one such device - are used in cases of anaphylaxis, when a severe allergic reaction can cut off a person's breath.

Under current law, Iowa schools are only allowed to administer the medicine to students who already have a prescription.

That's problematic, said Cedar Rapids Community School District nurse Laura Wheeler, because one in four people who experience anaphylaxis do not have a known allergy and would not have a prescription.

Wheeler has been lobbying Iowa legislators to change that, with a bill in the Iowa House that would allow schools themselves to get prescriptions. School employees then could administer epinephrine to anyone in need of it - students, teachers or anyone else in the building.

Iowa is one of only four states without a law to address those cases, Wheeler said.

The bill is particularly important for rural areas, Wheeler said. There, emergency personnel might not reach a school in time to administer the medicine.

The bill passed the Iowa Senate last week on a 50-0 vote. It passed a House subcommittee this week and is now awaiting action by the House education committee.

Similar legislation has been introduced in past sessions and failed, said Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt, D-Cedar Rapids. But this year's bill has a better chance of passing because it allows schools to decide whether to get the prescriptions.

'This bill is about saving children's lives, and allowing nurses to have the tools to do this,” Running-Marquardt said.

School districts have seen past legislation as an unfunded mandate, Running-Marquardt said. But the pharmaceutical company Mylan, which manufactures the EpiPen, gives each school four free EpiPens.

'We can't even sign up for (the program) until we have a prescription,” Wheeler said. 'This would allow schools to take advantage of that.”

Many anaphylactic reactions among children are related to food allergies, although the reactions also can be caused by bee stings and other allergens.

EpiPen injections do not harm people who do not need them, Wheeler said.

The bill also includes a provision allowing other 'public facilities” to obtain prescriptions for EpiPens. Wheeler said that could include fairs and children's camps.