Act 811, enacted into law during the Arkansas 94th General Assembly, requires opioid overdose kits to be mounted in all buildings at institutions of higher education in Arkansas.
Availability
Opioid overdose kits have been mounted in all buildings on campus. If an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is located in your building, the overdose kit will be mounted near it. The Physical Plant has created a comprehensive list of the locations of all overdose kits. This list is filed with UCAPD, the Student Health Center, and Dean of Students Office.
The list of these locations can be found here.
Maintenance
Act 811 requires the university to monitor the opioid overdose kits to ensure that the doses are not expired and to replace any used doses. UCA’s Emergency Management Coordinator will work with Building Administrators to manage this process at the building level.
Training
Training is available for any faculty or staff member that wants to be prepared to administer the nasal overdose reversal drug Naloxone. Dr. Stephanie Rose, program director for Addiction Studies at UCA, has been providing training to many departments and groups across campus. In addition to requesting training from Dr. Rose, students, faculty, and staff can also access training through the Vector Solutions training platform. To remain in compliance with Act 811, all UCA students will receive communication about training availability.
You can also find more information about Overdose Reversal Kits at the Rise Above Alcohol and Drugs (RAAD) site, the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership, and the Revive AR mobile app located in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Reporting
We ask for the campus community’s cooperation in reporting missing or used doses from the opioid overdose kits. Act 811 requires institutions to report usage for the overdose kits. This will provide statewide data on community use and prevention efforts, and is for reporting purposes only. Should you be aware of a dose that is missing or has been used, please contact UCAPD to report this so we can include that information in our annual report and replenish any missing doses.
As a reminder, the Joshua Ashley-Pauley Act provides immunity for seeking medical assistance in the instance of an overdose, for both the individual and any bystanders reporting the overdose. Additionally, the UCA Student Medical Amnesty policy states that students or student organizations who seek proactive assistance on behalf of themselves or others experiencing an emergency will not be subject to disciplinary action under University Standards of Student Conduct.
UCA’s response to Act 811 is a cooperative effort between the Office of the President, Physical Plant, University Police, Dean of Students, and UCA Department of Health Sciences’ Addiction Studies Program.