Legislation of Pingererlli and Gress signed into law at Cherokee Elementary School
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
Cherokee Elementary School hosted Gov. Katie Hobbs last week during National Nurses Week — on School Nurse Appreciation Day.
Surrounded by Cherokee third grade students, Gov. Hobbs signed into law House Bill 2174, legislation championed by Cherokee school nurse Will Graham.
Proposed by Arizona House Representatives Beverly Pingerelli, (R-Peoria) and Matt Gress (R-Phoenix), House Bill 2174 addresses the critical need to equip schools and teachers to better support students with diabetes, according to a press release.
With well more than half a million Arizonans diagnosed with diabetes and recent studies predicting a surge in children diagnosed with the condition, it is essential that our schools are prepared to keep these students healthy and safe, the release states.
Speaking at the May 8 event, Gov. Hobbs emphasized the importance of the legislation.
“This bill will allow schools to request a standing order to stock one or more doses of glucagon for emergency administration by school nurses or other personnel, rather than waiting for a first responder,” she said at the event. “Nurses will be able to take action immediately, potentially saving lives.”
Nurse Graham, who was in attendance for the event, was the driving force behind the bill and shared insights into the significance of the legislation.
“Before this bill, if parents did not supply a school with their own glucagon, our only option was to call 911 and stand idly by while we waited for the fire department to respond,” he said. “This period of waiting could prove to cause permanent disability or even death. With this bill, we ensure that all students are safe in school, including those with diabetes.”
Gov. Hobbs thanked Nurse Graham for his dedication and activism, as well as Julie Hoffman, advocacy chair of the Arizona chapter of the American Diabetes Association, for their collaboration that helped make the new law a reality.
