City of Hubbard police officers to carry to Narcan

By Sarah Lehr | March 8, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

HUBBARD

City of Hubbard police officers soon will be trained to administer Narcan, a potentially life-saving antidote to heroin overdose.

A nurse from the Trumbull County Combined Health District will train Hubbard officers Friday, Safety Director Louis Carsone reported during a council meeting Monday.

Narcan, also known as naloxone, can reverse the effects of opioids on the brain’s receptors. If administered quickly enough during an overdose, Narcan will cause the patient to resume breathing.

Advocates say it’s advantageous to train police officers in administering the antidote because they often are the first to respond. Waiting a few minutes for an ambulance could mean the difference between life and death, advocates added.

The TCCHD is distributing Narcan kits to local police departments, health agencies and members of the public through a program called Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone). Project DAWN is funded by a grant from the Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation with additional financial assistance from the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board.

Each Narcan kit is valued at about $90 and contains two doses of the drug to be administered nasally. Anyone interested in obtaining a kit and receiving training can call the health department at 330-675-2590 option #3.

Coroner Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk reported last week that Trumbull County saw 87 overdose deaths in 2015. In 2014, the county had 54 overdose deaths, according to the coroner.

In other business, council passed legislation as an emergency to allow the board of control to advertise for bids for improvements to a sanitary-sewer interceptor. Total estimated cost of the project is $195,000. The Ohio Public Works Commission will cover 50 percent of that cost, officials said.

Council also approved the mayor’s appointment of David Krock to the city’s Parks and Recreation Board.

Service Director Daniel Livingston reported the city has spent about $45,000 less on ice-control materials, including road salt, than it did last year.

Thus far this year, the city has spent $37,690 on ice control compared with $82,913 last year. The reduction is due to a mild winter and better prices, Livingston said.

Council will meet at 6 p.m. March 22 for a work session to discuss electric-service costs.