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California will supply rescue inhalers for students with asthma at all of the state’s public district and charter schools, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.
Funding for the three-year “School Albuterol Access Initiative” was included in last year’s state budget. The initiative marks an expansion of CalRx, a state-run program aimed at reducing prescription drug costs, according to the governor’s office.
Though some schools may already stock Albuterol, a rescue inhaler, the state will supply each school starting next week with an emergency stock of two inhalers and 25 single-use disposable spacers, which help deliver the medication more effectively. All schools, including private schools, will be able to purchase inhalers or refills through CalRx at a reduced price of $9.50 per inhaler, per Newsom’s announcement.
About 1 million children in California have asthma, and about one-third of students with active symptoms miss at least a week of school each year, according to the governor’s office.
“No child should be left gasping for air because their school doesn’t have an inhaler,” Newsom said in a statement. “This initiative lets us all breathe easier by equipping schools with the right tools to respond to potentially life-threatening asthma attacks.”
