Mahoning deputies, Boardman and Austintown officers get Naloxone kits

Mahoning County Sheriff’s deputies and Boardman and Austintown police officers have a new tool, a Naloxone kit, that has the potential to reduce opioid overdose deaths.

Today, members of those law enforcement departments were introduced to and received training on how to use Naloxone kits that police, who often arrive on the scene of an overdose before medical first responders, can use to reverse the overdose.

The training was provided by Dr. Daniel Brown, medical director for Meridian Healthcare, through which some 50 Naloxone kits were made available.

Naloxone causes immediate, severe withdrawal in opiate users. The kits were purchased through the Law Enforcement Fund, which consists of money seized in drug arrests, said Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene.