St. Louis couple pushes for Narcan to be required in medical kits on flights

By Shoshana Stahl

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    ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — A St. Louis couple is pushing for change at a federal level after they used their own supply of Narcan to save a man’s life during a flight.

Mary and John Gaal always carry Narcan with them.

“On the way back I yelled to Mary, ‘Hey Mary, throw me the Narcan,’” John said.

It’s something that ended up saving a stranger’s life a year ago when they were on a flight.

“I recognized the signs of opioid overdose,” John said. “He was profusely sweating. He had some vomit on the side of his face. He didn’t respond to the sternum rub.”

That’s when John said he administered the Narcan.

“Within three minutes, he came back to life, and within 10 minutes, we had him on his feet walking back to his seat,” John said.

The takeaway for the Gaal’s was that airlines are not required to carry Narcan.

Some major airlines do but the Gaal’s said the flight they were on didn’t have it.

“It’s not a big ask,” Mary said. “It’s not.”

“It saves lives,” John said.

In May, a bill was proposed by Congressman David Trone from Maryland, which would direct the FAA to include medications, like Narcan, for emergency treatment of suspected opioid overdoses in emergency kits.

It’s something Mary said should already be required.

“The young man on the flight up in the air no pulse, he would not have survived,” Mary said. “He would not have survived. I guarantee it.”

In October, Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski signed on as a cosponsor of the bill.

Congresswoman Budzinski sent First Alert 4 this statement:

“We continue to face a worsening opioid crisis in our country – and airline passengers are not immune. In-flight passenger medical emergencies have increasingly involved overdoses, but many airlines still do not carry Narcan in their medical emergency kits. It’s critical that we ensure Americans have access to life saving medications like Narcan at times of need. That is why I’m a proud cosponsor of H.R. 3616 which would direct the FAA to include Narcan in those emergency kits. As of March of this year, Narcan is an over-the-counter medication, so there is no reason it shouldn’t be a part of these kits when it can help save lives. I’m also a proud cosponsor of the Workplace Overdose Reversal Kits (WORK) to Save Lives Act which would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue guidance to employers on the importance of including Narcan at work sites as well as training on how to administer it.”

“Naloxone is an over-the-counter drug,” John said. “If you use any kind of logic such as what’s in the airplanes first aid kid, such as Tylenol, that’s an over-the-counter drug.”

That bill in Congress is now in a subcommittee on aviation.

Congresswoman Budzinski is one of 18 co-sponsors of the bill.

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