College out of compliance to prevent opioid overdose deaths

College officials block naloxone distribution despite 6,483 opioid overdose fatalities in California in 2021 recent meeting, she felt she could not yet raise the need to distribute fentanyl test strips because of the college leadership’s previous response to naloxone availability.

By Kim McGill

El Camino College is out of compliance with a new state law that went into effect on Jan. 1, mandating naloxone distribution.

The health center has naloxone they can administer in an emergency, but college officials have told Student Health Services they may not distribute naloxone to anyone.

The Campus Opioid Safety Act, authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado, “requires the governing board of each community college district and the trustees of the California State University to have each campus health center ... distribute dosages of a federally approved opioid overdose reversal medication.”

Susan Nilles, faculty coordinator of Student Health Services, said she has tried to inform campus administrators naloxone is safe and essential to save the lives of people experiencing an opioid-related overdose emergency.

“Individuals are not comfortable with this direction,” Nilles said about the decision El Camino officials are making to ignore both state law and new policies promoted by most public health and education agencies.

El Camino’s response has been to forbid Student Health Services from distributing naloxone to trained individuals.

Nilles was told legal counsel fears lawsuits if naloxone fails to reverse an overdose.

“That makes no sense,” Nilles said. “We don’t stop distributing condoms because someone might still get pregnant or get an infection.”

On March 2, El Camino’s Office of Marketing and Communications issued a memo outlining the college’s Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program (DAAAP) and Board Policy 3550 that includes “disciplinary sanctions on students and employees … up to and including expulsion or termination of employment and referral for prosecution for violations of the standards of conduct.”

The Union asked the staff interviewed if a warning about possible firing or expulsion would discourage students’ and employees’ willingness to come forward.

“I think they might hesitate,” Robin Dreizler, interim vice president of Student Services, said. “But somebody who reaches out for help is generally offered that assistance.”

Since 1989, U.S. law required all schools and colleges develop a DAAAP to receive federal education funding.

But El Camino staff revealed a lack of clarity on who develops and leads drug and alcohol policies on campus.

According to the California Department of Public Health, in 2021, there were 6,843 opioidrelated overdose deaths, 57% caused by fentanyl.

Dr. Julie Poepoe, a nurse practitioner at Student Health Services, has conducted opioid information workshops for students and employees.

“We have an overdose epidemic ... deaths of 15 to 20-year-olds. We should be doing everything possible to protect students,” Poepoe said.

Currently, the health center is the only location on campus that has naloxone, and is both trained and authorized to administer it on campus.

“That’s not good enough,” Nilles said.

El Camino Police Sergeant Ruben Lopez said the police department does not administer naloxone or have naloxone.

“If somebody has any kind of medical emergency what we do is contact LA County Fire and they would respond, and they have naloxone to administer if they have to,” Lopez said.

Nilles was hoping El Camino would be proactive and emerge as a leader among college campuses in responding to the opioid overdose crisis. But in a

The March 2 DAAAP memo was signed by Dreizler. While he knew the directive was issued, Dreizler said he didn’t know it had his signature.

He suggested the Office of Workplace Safety and Risk Management.

Valerie Wagner in Risk Management said their office did not develop the DAAAP or block naloxone distribution. Nilles said health services advises on the DAAAP, but it is created and managed by the police department. Lopez said the police didn’t develop the DAAAP.

“I think a campus drug plan sounds like a risk management function,” Lopez said.

On May 24, community healer Amanda Perez got a call from her family. Her nephew, who was about to be a father, died from a fentanyl overdose.

“People don’t know fentanyl’s strength,” Perez said, holding back tears. “His mother found him. How devastating is that? Naloxone should be in every home, every school, every back pack.”