Pennsylvania State Police troopers will be among the latest law enforcement officials in the area to carry a life-saving opioid overdose reversal antidote.
The troopers will soon begin carrying two doses of the antidote, naloxone, more commonly known as Narcan, in their patrol vehicles.
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The move was approved this week by Gov. Tom Wolf. The doses will be provided with a combination of grants donated by Aetna, Geisinger Health, Health Partner Plans and Highmark, the governor’s office said.
“Pennsylvanians are dying every day from drug overdose, so it is critical to have naloxone in the hands of our state police and first responders who may be first on the scene of an overdose situation,” Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Acting Secretary Gary Tennis said.
During an overdose, the victim’s brain is slowly starved of oxygen, which can cause serious and life-threatening damage in a matter of minutes. Dr. Ken Lavelle, who works for Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia and local EMS agencies, recently told reporters that police are usually first to arrive at overdose calls and can administer Narcan through a nasal atomiser and help save the overdose victim.
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“At times, our troopers may be first on the scene of an overdose and this gives them another tool to deal with the emergencies they encounter,” Pennsylvania State Police Acting Commissioner Marcus Brown said.
Police from Falls, Lower Makefield, Middletown, Morrisville, Newtown and Yardley first received kits with the overdose antidote in February. Officials said more local departments were working to equip their officers with Narcan.
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In March, at least one Buck County man was saved using Narcan administered by police.
Narcan was made available to law enforcement, first responders, family members, friends or other persons in a position to assist an individual at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose after former Gov. Tom Corbett approved a new law last year.
As of Tuesday, several major health insurers had contributed nearly $300,000 in additional funds to pay for Narcan for municipal and campus police across the state. An additional $100,000 was being supplied by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
