Emergency contacts?

I'm not sure how to handle your emergency contacts. I'm guessing if it were an emergency that required an epipen, waiting until an emergency contact could get there would be too long, anyway.

However, I did want to say that I think you should fight the policy of having epipens locked up in the nurse's cabinet. Time is precious in an emergency, and I wouldn't want to have to wait for someone to get to the office, find the key, unlock the cabinet, get the epipen back to wherever my child was, and administer it.

See if you can get the school to reconsider.

jeancbpugh, I actually don't have two emergency contacts for my children at school. The emergency contacts are me and their Father.

It's simply because I don't have anyone that I could ask to be an emergency contact this year (and I think last year as well).

Previously, when I did have friends close by to the school(s) that were emergency contacts, I never even thought about giving them an Epi-pen for my PA child.

My instructions to the school are to administer the Epi-pen, two puffs of Ventolin, dial 911, and LASTLY call me. So, if they couldn't reach me, then my children's Father (or in what we're talking about my PA son's Father - although Father is the same for both), the call to the next emergency contacts would be quite "down there" on the list.

So, I've never required my emergency contacts to have an Epi-pen. However, having said that, I've always pretty well been home should something happen. Within the last six months, I have had a cell phone on loan in case of emergencies should I be out of the house and the school calls.

I think though this depends on if you think that you or your DH will not be able to be reached, for whatever reason, and that your contacts listed will, in fact, in all likelihood be receiving the call. Then, you may want to give them an Epi-pen "just in case", but again, truth be told, if your child needs an Epi-pen at school (which the school has), they're going to be taken to the hospital, right? So, the need for an emergency contact to have an Epi-pen, I don't know.

Are you planning to provide the school with two or more Epi-pens? Does the ambulance in your area carry epinephrine?

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

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jeancbpugh,

You can rely on AAAAI Position Statement on [i]Anaphylaxis in schools and other child-care settings[/i] to support your argument for them to rethink their dangerous practices.

[url="http://www.aaaai.org/media/resources/academy_statements/position_statements/ps34.asp"]http://www.aaaai.org/media/resources/academy_statements/position_statements/ps34.asp[/url]

Quoting from that position statement:
[b]Epinephrine should be kept in locations that are easily accessible and not in locked cupboards or drawers. All staff members should know these locations. Children old enough to self-administer epinephrine should carry their own kits. For younger children, the epinephrine device should be kept in the classroom and passed from teacher to teacher as the child moves through the school (eg, from classroom to music to PE to lunch).

All students, regardless of whether they are capable of epinephrine self-administration, will still require the help of others because the severity of the reaction may hamper their attempts to inject themselves. Adult supervision is mandatory... [/b]

My son turned 5 the week he entered kindergarten (last Fall). Although the nurse has 2 epi-pens (and yes, they are locked in a cabinet where all medicines are kept--can't do anything about that, required by law...at least the staff knows where they are kept and several have keys), he wears an E-Belt so always has an epi-pen on him.

In addition to myself and his father, I have two other people listed--both are familiar with allergies and trained to use an epi-pen.

In a hospitalization situation where the school could not reach me or DH, one of the other contact persons would go to the hospital and act as a parent until either I or DH arrived. (We gave them temporary child custody for such an emergency.)

In just a sick-call situation, one of the other contact people could pick him up at school and bring him to her home. Since he's wearing his epi-pen, there's no concern there. He also wears a Medic Alert Band so there's access to his medical information if needed.

One of the reasons schools ask for *emergency contacts* is in case there is an emergency at the school. e.g. if a water main bursts and there is no water in the school they have to close it. Then, they need to have children picked up from school.

Regarding what to do with epi-pens -- does your son carry an epi-pen himself? If he wears an e-belt and carries the epi-pen himself, I [i]personally[/i] wouldn't leave epi's at the home's of the emergency contacts. My oldest son is in college - and only once in all those years were emergency contacts called by the school. Will your neighbours even remember where they put them if they are ever called?

If your son will not be carrying his own epi, will the school remember to send it home with him in an emergency? If not (or possibly not) you may want to reconcider who holds his epi while he's at school.

I'd delighted to report I spoke yesterday with the nurse at the elementary school my son will attend in the fall. The new school district policy is that the epi and meds go with the child from room to room, in a backpack or fanny pack. That makes things much easier!

The nurse gave me their forms to fill out, one of which is the standard Food Allergy Action Plan from FAAN.

Things are looking up.

It's nice to hear that school policy and what you want are the same thing. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/biggrin.gif[/img]

Consider getting the zonii epi-belt. I honestly feel it is a worthwhile investment. If you order it from medic-alert it also has the easily recognizable emblem on it.

If you order the e-belt direct from Zoni, it has the "e-belt" emblem and it is the "real thing", so is there a reason to order it through a 3rd-party like MedicAlert? Do you get a discount? Or, does the MedicAlert "cover-version" have the MedicAlert emblem instead?? Just curious [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

I have ordered TWO direct from Zoni (and I'm in the UK territories) ... very happy with them!!

"Sea"

[This message has been edited by SeaHint (edited May 05, 2004).]

When ordered from Medic-alert it had the *Medic-alert* emblem on it - which most people recognize. It is the zoni belt - the exact same belt, it just has the medic-alert symbol.

When I ordered it last year, in Canada, it was cheaper to order through them - no idea why. (I don't look a gift horse in the mouth - often. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/wink.gif[/img] )