Committee hears bill to let students carry inhalers and epinephrine and allow school stock medications

Representative Carter told the committee HB 7896 aims to remove barriers that delay life‑saving treatment for asthma, anaphylaxis and diabetes by authorizing student self‑carry and enabling schools to stock rescue medications under standing orders. The bill as presented also includes liability protections for staff who act in good faith.

Jeff Bradford of the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association testified in support, saying standing orders would need to be updated and that training could be concise (he compared inhaler training to 5–15 minutes for opioid naloxone training). Bradford and others argued that school-level standing orders can empower a wider set of trained personnel — bus monitors, coaches and other staff — to administer rescue medications when necessary.

Committee members pressed several implementation points: how long training should take, whether schools or districts already have authority to install measures, and particularly the cost of epinephrine (one committee member noted EpiPens cost roughly $250 each) and glucagon. Representative Carter and witnesses pointed to donor programs, grant opportunities, and manufacturer donation programs that can reduce or eliminate local costs.

What’s next: The committee asked the sponsor to consult with the State School Nurses Association (which had filed opposition) and RIDE to work out training length, standing‑order language and potential procurement pathways before moving the bill forward.