Overview
- Governor Gavin Newsom announced the School Albuterol Access Initiative on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, to supply two 90‑microgram-per‑actuation albuterol inhalers and 25 single‑use disposable spacers each year to about 10,000 public and charter TK–12 schools for three years.
- The California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Erica Pan signed a statewide standing order that lets schools obtain and use the inhalers without individual physician prescriptions.
- Amneal Pharmaceuticals will manufacture the CalRx albuterol product and run an online ordering and shipping system to deliver supplies directly to school districts and school sites.
- The California School Nurses Organization will provide free training and stock‑albuterol protocols to public districts, and CDPH and CalRx will host a statewide webinar on Aug. 25 to guide school staff on use, recognition of respiratory distress, and emergency follow-up.
- About 1 million California children have asthma, and state officials say on-site access to rescue inhalers aims to cut emergency visits and missed school days; the CalRx program builds on earlier state efforts to lower drug prices and expand access to naloxone and biosimilar insulin.