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Police are often at an overdose scene before medical personnel
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning County deputy sheriffs and Youngstown, Boardman and Austintown police officers have a new tool, a naloxone kit, that has the potential to reduce opioid-overdose deaths.
Members of those law-enforcement departments received training Thursday on how to use the kits that police, who often arrive on the scene of an overdose before medical first-responders, can use to reverse the overdose.
When asked if they ever had responded to an overdose, virtually all of the officers in the room raised their hands.
Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a generic, low-cost, non-narcotic, non-habit forming medication that immediately can reverse an overdose caused by an opioid drug such as heroin or prescription pain medication, according to literature provided by Meridian Healthcare.
Used safely by emergency medical professionals for more than 40 years, naloxone works by blocking the brain-cell receptors activated by opioids, such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and heroin, said Dr. Daniel Brown, medical director for Meridian Healthcare, who provided the training.
Meridian Healthcare helped the departments secure naloxone kits and also donated the training and support to train police personnel how to use them.
“We’re proud to partner with Sheriff Greene and help get these kits and the training they need to law-enforcement departments around the county,” said Larry Moliterno, president and chief executive officer of Meridian.
It is important to note that the Naloxone kits were purchased with seized drug money; it doesn’t cost the taxpayer a dime, said Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene, who hosted the training.
“Everyone knows heroin use and deaths are epidemic, particularly in the rural areas,” Greene said.
After the initial training cycle, Greene said he will be contacting all of the chiefs from rural township police departments and offering to pay for these kits and the training needed for their departments.
Each naloxone kit contains two vials of naloxone, devices to spray the Naloxone into a patient’s nostrils, two face shields and a reference guide.
Once the patient is breathing on his own, he should be placed on his side in the recovery position.
“The patient will immediately experience the worst withdrawal symptoms you’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Brown.
He said that pilot studies have shown that after the use of naloxone, some patients have sought help to recover from addiction and had life-saving experiences.
Greene said the naloxone kits are “very affordable,” and the training is free.
“We’d be dropping the ball if we didn’t take advantage of this program. There are more overdose deaths than homicides. Opiate addiction is something we need to deal with,” he said.