Officers of the Elkhorn Police Department are now carrying Narcan, a medication that counteracts opiate overdose.
According to a release from the department, Elkhorn Area EMS has been administering Narcan, a generic name for naloxone, for a while now. As a result of a recent change in the law and continued partnership with Elkhorn Area EMS, the release said the department is joining a growing number of police departments, which have trained their officers to use the life-saving drug.
“Police are typically the first to arrive on the scene, just ahead of the ambulance, so it makes sense for them to be trained and carry Narcan in their vehicles,” Elkhorn Police Chief Joel Christensen said.
By having the training, carrying and using the nasal Narcan, the release said police can administer the drug to a narcotic overdose patient quickly, which may result in saving a life.
Police officers have been trained to administer the drug, which is given with a syringe with a felt tip and is sprayed into the person’s nose. According to the release, the drug can rapidly reverse the effects of opiates such as heroin and oxycodone, but it’s crucial that the person be taken to a medical facility soon after the drug is administered.
“The Elkhorn Police Department Officers are already certified as EMS First Responders and perform basic medical skills including but not limited to CPR and the use of automated external defibrillator (AED),” Christensen said.
“Administering Narcan is just another one of those first responder skills that will enhance the service we deliver to the community.”
The release said typically when people think of opiate overdoses, they often only think of a heroin overdose situation though opiate overdoses can be caused in a variety of ways.
According to the release, cause of an opiate overdose may be the result of an accidental overdose of prescribed medication used by a person with memory loss or dementia, a child that gains access to medications or someone who takes the wrong pills or too many by mistake.
“It is all of these events that we will now be able to increase the chances of recovery for the victim and their family and loved ones,” Christensen said. “Hopefully we won’t have to use it, but if we need to, it will be there.”
