Joint Letter from ACHA & ACUHO-I on Campus Opioid Overdose Reversal Policies

Dear Colleagues:

The American College Health Association (ACHA) and the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I) are combining efforts to highlight the important role your institution can take in addressing the opioid overdose crisis impacting the nation and, by extension, nearly all US college campuses. This letter outlines steps we encourage the leadership of your institution to support and execute to reduce the risk of overdose-related student fatalities

There is an immediate need to address this issue within higher education, with nearly 3% of students reporting that they have partaken in the non-medical use of prescription opioids such as morphine or codeine. As you know, the implication of recreational opioid use can lead to devastating consequences, and as such, ready access to overdose reversal agents by trained providers is imperative.

For this reason, ACHA and ACUHO-I have joined forces to highlight actions that colleges can take to better support overdose prevention and reversal efforts.

It is critical that colleges offer a full spectrum of opioid overdose response initiatives, including:

• Prevention efforts through fentanyl adulteration education
• Early interventions and support, such as referrals to substance use disorder counseling
• Knowledge of where to access naloxone on and off-campus
• Training for medical and residence hall personnel on naloxone administration and policies
• Education on how to identify instances of opioid overdose and appropriate responses by bystanders.

We call on all colleges and university leaders to take the steps outlined above and adopt opioid overdose reversal policies for your campuses to replicate results found from such an initiative at Columbia University, where, between 2019 and 2020, 15 lives were saved. To assist college and university executive leaders in this process, we have attached an Addendum of Considerations as they design an action plan for their campus.

Your actions can help safeguard the health and well-being of your students and, collectively, students across the country, empowering institutions to better respond to overdose emergencies and create safer campus environments.

Please also see this addendum, which provides several items for executive leaders in higher education to consider when designing and implementing policies to increase access to opioid overdose reversal medication, as well as related prevention and education efforts.

Sincerely,

Mary DeNiro, CEO
Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I)

James Wilkinson, CEO
American College Health Association (ACHA)