How It Works
Three things you do once, one thing you do regularly, and one thing you hope never to do. ARK is the storage half of a stock epinephrine program. You supply the medication, and this page walks through the rest.
Step 1
Mount it where it's most visible, ideally beside the AED
Pick the most visible location: the main office, the front desk, the hallway outside the cafeteria, or beside your AED. Install the cabinet so it is reachable for all persons, and follow your building code, including ADA standards.
Place cabinets so that the distance between them allows a response anywhere in the building, starting with the places a reaction is most likely to occur.
Four screws, any wall surface, and the hardware comes in the box. Most installations take about ten minutes.
Step 2
Stock it with epinephrine
ARK holds standard epinephrine auto-injectors such as EpiPen and Auvi-Q, nasal spray such as neffy, and authorized generics. Most organizations stock two doses, because a severe reaction can need a second dose before help arrives. Your prescriber or standing order will say what applies to you.
Develop a policy and protocol to stay in compliance with your state guidelines, including expiration dates, date of product, and reporting any use. K-12 schools may qualify for free medication through EPIPEN4SCHOOLS or neffyinSchools. Our state guide covers what your state allows and how to get the medication.
Step 3
Train everyone who might respond, then check it regularly
Not just the nurse. The people nearest a reaction are teachers, coaches, kitchen staff and front desk staff, so train anyone who might be the first one there. Training covers three things: recognizing anaphylaxis, using the device you stock, and calling 911 every time epinephrine is used.
Every state's stock epinephrine law ties protection to some form of training or policy, and the details differ. Your state's page lists what applies. Device manufacturers publish free training materials for their own products, and free trainer devices exist for practice.
Check with your device manufacturer for free training devices. Free training exists, but it may not satisfy every requirement in your state. Ask us for more information.
Keep it ready
Add ARK to the same regular walk-through as your AED and fire extinguishers. If your organization logs safety checks, log this one too.
The white safety strap is the integrity indicator: if it is broken, the cabinet has been opened. There is no key to lose and no battery to test.
The thirty-second check
- The cabinet is where it should be
- The white safety strap is intact
- The medication is inside
- The expiration date hasn't passed
In an emergency
Call 911. Lift the cover: it opens in one motion, with no key and no latch. Take the medication and use it according to its own instructions. Epinephrine is first aid, not a substitute for emergency care, and a person who has had one reaction can have another.
Everything about the cabinet exists so this moment is short: the red marking says what it is from across the room, the clear cover shows the medication is there, and the lift tab is the only moving part.
We are not a healthcare provider and this is not medical advice.
Follow your organization's emergency action plan, your medical director's standing orders, and the instructions supplied with your device.