Drug overdoses killed 64,000 people last year.
That’s 175 people a day.
7 lives lost every hour.
On the day the President declared a national opioid health crisis, vowing to be the “generation that ends the opioid epidemic,” Clayton Police announced that every single officer…from the Chief of Police down…is now armed with Naloxone, a powerful drug that can counteract a deadly opioid overdose.
Clayton was the first department in Johnston County to carry Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan. Now they are one of the first law enforcement agencies in the Triangle to equip 100% of the force with the life-saving tool. A staff of 43 Clayton personnel were trained and now carry the nasal spray.
“We simply can’t arrest our way out of this epidemic” said Clayton Police Chief Blair Myhand, who knows firsthand the how dangerous opioids affect families. “I lost my younger sister to a drug overdose in 2013. If there is even a slight chance we can keep a family from going through what mine has, then we are going for it.”
Drug overdoses are expected to remain the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, as synthetic opioids — primarily fentanyl and similar drugs — continue to push the death count higher. Opioids range from illegal drugs like heroin to prescription medications like Vicodin, OxyContin and Morphine.
Naloxone is a safe, effective medication that temporarily blocks the effects of those opioids in the brain long enough to restore breathing in a person experiencing respiratory failure from an opioid related overdose.
Chief Myhand, who started with the Town of Clayton in May, equipped all Clayton Police officers, and the canine teams, with kits as a first step in the department’s response plan. He is networking with other local police departments to identify alternative methods over traditional law enforcement efforts to combat the growing opioid epidemic in this country.
“I’m worried about the dangers these incidents pose and want a way to ensure his officers are safe,” he said. “The national opioid epidemic has become increasingly more dangerous for law enforcement officers as encounters with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are occurring at an alarming rate. Officer accidental exposures have been reported all over the country with many officers becoming ill as a result. Exposure to as few as two to three milligrams of fentanyl can be harmful, if not fatal. Our officers need a way to protect themselves from this threat too…Naloxone helps us do that.”
Officers are learning how to recognize an overdose and respond appropriately with Naloxone. The medication consists of an intranasal device that sprays the drug into the nostrils, typically reversing the effects of the drug within minutes. Paramedics have used Naloxone to reverse opioid overdose for decades, but now police officers in Clayton can intervene when they arrive first to the scene of a suspected overdose.
“The ability to administer Naloxone and restore breathing to a patient prior to EMS arrival saves lives,” said Town of Clayton Councilman Jason Thompson, a life-long emergency responder. “We could easily be saving a kid who takes a parent’s pain medication, or someone who accidentally over-medicates themselves. Opiates are powerful and affect people in different ways. Our police officers are the true first responders to most incidents.
Law enforcement Naloxone programs have been made more effective thanks to the law enacted in North Carolina in 2013. The law removes liability from any person who administers Naloxone to save a life. The law also encourages people to seek medical help for an overdose by offering limited immunity for some drug, alcohol, and probation/parole violation offenses and by allowing community-based organizations to distribute Naloxone through a special prescription from a medical provider.
One of the Town of Clayton’s goals is being a healthier and safer community. One of the paths to that goal is now enhanced from the Naloxone program being implemented by the Clayton Police Department.
“I am extremely proud of our Police Department and Johnston County EMS for bringing the Council’s vision to reality” said Councilman Thompson.
Selma Police will soon become the second law enforcement agency in Johnston County to carry Narcan. Benson Police are considering carrying the life saving drug. 29 people died in Johnston County from opioid and heroin overdoses in 2015. Statistics from 2016 are not yet available.
