Article Credit: Sloane Miller, Allergic Girl
Very exciting news from Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) website: "On November 13, 2013 President Obama signed into law the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, which encourages states to adopt laws requiring schools to have on hand “stock” epinephrine auto-injectors."
Here is some of the coverage from around the web and more about what this means.
FARE press release: "President Obama today signed into law the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act during a ceremony attended by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) CEO John L. Lehr, members of FARE’s board of directors and key congressional sponsors. This historic and potentially lifesaving legislation is the first federal law encouraging schools to stock epinephrine for use in allergic emergencies, and has been championed by FARE for more than two years.”
From CNN.com: Obama reveals daughter Malia’s peanut allergy at bill signing: "This is something that will save children's lives," the President said at the signing. "Some people may know that Malia actually has a peanut allergy. She doesn't have asthma, but obviously making sure that EpiPens are available in case of emergency in schools is something that every parent can understand."
From the White House Blog: "Today in the Oval Office, President Obama signed into law the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, which will encourage schools to plan for severe asthma attacks and allergic reactions, and provide millions of families with greater peace of mind. The law makes an important change to the Children’s Asthma Treatment Grants Program and other federal asthma programs, which authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to give funding preferences to states for asthma-treatment grants if they: maintain an emergency supply of epinephrine (EpiPens), if they permit trained personnel of the school to administer epinephrine, and if they develop a plan for ensuring trained personnel are available to administer epinephrine during all hours of the school day."
From the Wall Street Journal: "Rather than require schools to stockpile EpiPens, the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Law provides a financial incentive. States that require schools maintain a supply of the medication and permit trained school personnel to administer it will get preference for receiving federal children’s asthma-treatment grants. A similar preference has been in existence since 2004 for states that allow students to self-administer medication to treat asthma and anaphylaxis."
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