To Senators of the United States of America United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senators We are writing to ask you to co-sponsor S. 1884 the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act introduced by Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk. We are friends and supporters of children with severe food allergies. Children with food allergies are at risk for anaphylaxis, a systemic allergic reaction that can kill within minutes due to asphyxiation or extremely low blood pressure. To prevent death, anaphylaxis must be treated promptly with an injection of epinephrine. The Durbin-Kirk bill would encourage states to ensure that epinephrine is available in schools and that school personnel are trained to administer it in an emergency. Epinephrine is safe and easy to administer. Children are able to self-administer the medication, and any adult working in a school would be capable of learning how to administer epinephrine in a matter of minutes. Nearly six million American children have food allergies and many are at risk of anaphylaxis. Schools need to be prepared to treat allergic reactions in the event a student’s personal epinephrine auto-injector isn’t available or the student is having a reaction for the first time. The School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act is not a controversial bill. It is endorsed by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Association of School Nurses. On average it will cost a school just over $100 to have epinephrine available to prevent a fatality from anaphylaxis. This is a small price to pay to save the life of a child. I hope you will co-sponsor the Durbin-Kirk bill and work to assure passage of this legislation. Thank you for considering our views. Sincerely, Name Address including city/state Phone and/or e-mail address