Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Penndel Borough may be the latest town to arm its officers with a potential lifesaving medicine.
According to Councilwoman Barbara Heffelfinger, Borough Chief of Police Joseph Sciscio has requested the council to approve its officers use of a new tool that may help save lives of those that overdose from heroin in the borough.
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The lifesaving, anti-opioid overdose antidote Naloxone, or more commonly known as Narcan, which comes in a nasal spray, would be located inside each patrol car. According to the Chief, having the drug will allow officers to save even more lives, since police are often the first ones on the scene at an overdose.
Local Police Get New Tool to Save Lives of Overdose Victims
While Emergency Medical Services have always had access to an intravenous of the drug, it is often too late by the time those services arrive. Since November, more than 180 doses of the drug have been used by medics throughout the county.
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While administering the drug will involve an in-house training course for its officers, the drug is provided free of charge by the county. According to county officials, the medicine, which retails for about $50, has a shelf life of two years.
The Penndel Borough Council will meet with the chief at their public safety meeting on March 4 to gather more information and discuss the use of the drug further.
