At the February 15 Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) board meeting, School Board Chair Maria Teresa Rojas called for an awareness campaign on the dangers of fentanyl poisoning and the need to provide emergency medical treatment at school sites. The initiative was unanimously approved by the board.

Project Opioid South Florida has committed to providing free Naloxone, a life-saving medication in the form of a nasal spray that reverses an overdose/poisoning, at each M-DCPS school site. In addition, the team will assist in the project management of training programs for staff, students, and parents and will work with medical and professional experts in Miami-Dade to provide an update on Miami-Dade Schools Police Department’s fentanyl response training. 

“The Project Opioid South Florida team applauds the entire School Board on their life-saving leadership. We look forward to working closely with the team at Miami-Dade Public Schools on this and other initiatives,” said Lisa Keeler, Regional Director. 

“We are so grateful for the opportunity to offer our services to Miami-Dade County Public Schools, to ensure the safety of students throughout the county. By providing free Naloxone, delivery logistics, and education and training, we can be proactive and save lives,” said Amanda Nicol, Project Opioid South Florida’s Miami-Dade Manager. 

In 2022, Nicol, along with Dr. Wendy Blair Stephan of Florida Poison Information Center-Miami, presented data including response time and overdoses in the tri-county area supporting the need for Naloxone and education on the crisis at school sites to two Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) committees. The committees were provided with examples of age-appropriate educational awareness campaigns and training modules for students, parents, and employees, and were informed on all relevant Florida laws, all of which protect school employees, contractors, and union members from liability related to administering Naloxone to a person in distress.  

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Project Opioid South Florida (https://projectopioidsouthflorida.org) is part of a statewide initiative funded by the Florida Blue Foundation to drastically reduce the number of opioid-related fatalities statewide. The mission of Project Opioid South Florida is to gather and educate influential community leaders across all sectors: business, faith, nonprofit and law enforcement sectors to create awareness and implement strategies among the business community to stop the growing opioid crisis in South Florida. To learn more, call Lisa Keeler, Regional Director at (954) 627-0126.