Congressman responds to nurse's appeal for albuterol inhalers in Savannah-Chatham public schools
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On Sept. 28, Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter’s communications team shared that the congressman had collaborated with Cipla USA to secure a donation of Albuterol inhalers for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS).
School Superintendent Denise Watts, Ed.D, included an announcement of the donation in her updates at the School Board’s regular meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
SCCPSS District Nursing Administrator Lisa Wilson was the first to address the shortage over the summer. Wilson said, “The request for support was made after our District received notification that our previous supplier was unable to provide albuterol to the clinics. The provided supply in years past has been more than adequate, however, we were unable to utilize the medication past the manufacture’s expiration date.”
Wilson assured that SCCPSS clinics were fully stocked for the entire 2022-2023 school year. “The initial request for Congressman Carter’s support was made in July, prior to the beginning of the [2023-2024] school year.”
When asked if there is potentially a rise in student respiratory incidents, Wilson said it is too early in the school year to tell of any true increase. “Given some of what we are seeing, it could be seasonal. As always however, our team seeks to offer a best practice response to any student/staff who may be experiencing respiratory distress. Having stock albuterol in every clinic facilitates the nurse’s ability to quickly respond to what could potentially be a life-threatening situation.”
Reaching out for help
According to a letter that Wilson sent to Carter’s office, she had requested suggestions “for a vendor who might donate at least one albuterol inhaler for each of our 72 sites/programs?” As a part of the donation, 50 schools within the SCCPSS district were provided with Albuterol HFA inhalers for the school year.
An official statement from Carter read, “While I am pleased that Cipla was able to assist SCCPSS in getting life-saving inhalers for its students, we cannot allow these drug shortages to continue. Increasing domestic manufacturing of pharmaceuticals is the key to addressing the growing list of vital medications that are in shortage right now and we must act quickly to save lives.”
Manufacturing shortages, however, do not appear to have been the issue that led to the shortage in SCCPSS schools. In Wilson’s letter she noted grant funding had “been depleted for supplying stock albuterol to schools.” She indicated efforts were underway to re-secure funding. Meanwhile, over the summer, she had concerns that SCCPSS might be facing the school year without the “lifesaving medication.” So she took the initiative to connect with Carter following up on a passing comment he made once to her. “[Carter said] ‘Let me know if I can ever do anything to help you,’ but I remembered it,” said Wilson.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at jschwartsburt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: buddy carter sccpss albuterol donation
