A Dunwoody High student has been working to ensure that naloxone — a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose — is in every classroom in the school after a student died from a fentanyl overdose in May.
Mady Cohen’s efforts paid off this week when naloxone, often referred to as Narcan for the brand name of the device used to administer the drug, was used to revive another student having a medical emergency, Principal Tom Bass said.
“We had about 50 doses of Narcan in the building with the intention of getting more,” Bass said. “Fortunately, two of those doses were used to respond to our young student yesterday.”
Dunwoody High student Mia Dieguez died in May due to a fentanyl overdose. She was found unresponsive in class, and attempts to revive her with the medication and a defibrillator were unsuccessful. An unidentified minor was charged with multiple criminal counts in relation to her death, including involuntary manslaughter.
The tragedy made Cohen, a junior, want to do something.
“Last May, after everything that happened, I just was very upset watching my friends and people I love grieving,” she said. “That’s when I called Narcan directly.”
Mady met with Bass over the summer and has been working with the school’s Parent Teacher Student Organization to raise $5,000 to put Narcan in every classroom and every part of the school where students congregate. Over the counter, the medication costs around $50 for two doses of the nasal spray. Mady also went to a staff meeting this month and helped train staff members at the school on how to use Narcan and the effects of a fentanyl overdose.
Credit: Photo courtesy Mady Cohen
Credit: Photo courtesy Mady Cohen
The effort builds on work by the DeKalb County School District, where police officers have carried Narcan or naloxone since 2019. School nurses also have access to the medication. And so does an additional designee at every middle and high school campus as of this year.
“I think it’s something that is needed considering the times that we’re in,” said JoAnn Harris, the district’s coordinator of student health services. “We want to be prepared.”
When another student was in distress Wednesday, the planning came into play. A teacher used their crisis alert badge to quickly get help during the emergency. (The badges were purchased last year from Centegix, a metro Atlanta-based company. The AJC previously reported that the badges are most often used during medical emergencies like this one.)
Campus security responded to the scene, and another staff member quickly grabbed some of the Narcan that was nearby thanks to Mady’s efforts, Bass said. The security officers were able to administer two doses and revive the student.
“That’s amazing to hear,” Mady said. “That makes me feel so, so happy and content that this is gonna make a difference.”
DeKalb County police are investigating the incident, Bass wrote in a letter to the school community.
School staff plan to distribute the remaining doses around campus, Bass said, until more come in from Mady’s fundraiser.
How to contribute
Mady is trying to raise $5,000 to make naloxone readily available everywhere at Dunwoody High. Any donations received over that amount will go toward other opioid education and overdose prevention efforts, she said. Add “Mady’s Narcan Project” to the subject line.
- Send money via Venmo to @DunwoodyPTSO
For more information, email madysproject@gmail.com.
What is Narcan?
Naloxone, the generic name for opioid-reversal drugs, was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2015. Narcan was the first over-the-counter nasal spray approved by the agency in 2023. The nasal spray contains a medicine with no abuse potential and can be administered by individuals with or without medical training, according to the FDA.
Lawmakers and advocates around the country have been taking steps to ensure access to the medication. A law went into effect in Georgia this year that aimed to make the medication more readily available and allow anyone, including teachers, administrators, visitors or students, to carry naloxone and administer it to someone experiencing an overdose.
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