On November 17, 2011, two U.S. senators introduced proposed legislation that would encourage states to ensure their schools have access to stock epinephrine and training to administer it. You can help get this bill made into law by sending a letter to your senators. A sample letter, prepared by FAAN (the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) is below. To find a senator’s contact info: click here.
Sample Letter of Support for the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act
Note: Please paraphrase. It is important that Senators do not receive duplicates of the same letter from different individuals.
The Honorable (insert Senator’s name)
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator (insert name):
I am writing to ask you to co-sponsor S. 1884, the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, introduced by Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk. I am the parent of a child with severe food allergies. (Personalize here by inserting a brief description of your child’s allergies.)
Children with food allergies are at risk for anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. To prevent death, anaphylaxis must be treated promptly with an injection of epinephrine. The Durbin-Kirk bill would encourage states to ensure that epinephrine is available in schools and that school personnel are trained to administer it in an emergency. Epinephrine is safe and easy to administer. Children are able to self-administer the medication, and any adult working in a school would be capable of learning how to administer epinephrine in a matter of minutes.
Nearly 6 million American children have potentially life-threatening food allergies. Schools need to be prepared to treat allergic reactions in the event a student’s personal epinephrine auto-injector isn’t available or the student is having a reaction for the first time.
The School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act is not a controversial bill. It is endorsed by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Association of School Nurses. On average it will cost a school just over $100 to have epinephrine available to prevent a fatality from anaphylaxis. This is a small price to pay to save the life of a child.
I hope you will co-sponsor the Durbin-Kirk bill and work to assure passage of this legislation. Thank you for considering my views.
Sincerely,
