Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange police — along with all 24 other police agencies in Essex County — are receiving Narcan kits as part of a program to assist local law enforcement in treating individuals suspected of overdosing on heroin or other opiates.
Narcan, which is a trade name for Naloxone, is used to reverse the effects of opiate overdoses.
With the scourge of heroin increasing throughout New Jersey — and particularly in suburbs — in recent years, Gov. Chris Christie signed the Overdose Prevention Act into law in May 2013, allowing physicians to prescribe Narcan to anyone who may be in a position to assist another individual during an opiate overdose. In 2014, the State Attorney General’s Office set up a pilot program to train police officers on how to use Narcan when responding to suspected overdoses.
Essex County police departments participated in the training in October, paving the way for the release of the kits.
“Today, 250 Narcan kits will be given to local law enforcement agencies. The goal of this program is to equip every police department in Essex County, including campus police and others, to be able to immediately render life-saving assistance to someone who is overdosing on heroin or other opiates,’’ said Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray in a release today.
Maplewood Police Chief Robert Cimino said police were happy to have the added resource: “Our officers are fortunate that they will have Narcan as part of our ‘lifesaving equipment,’ so they are better equipped to help a victim of a heroin or opiate overdose,” Cimino wrote in an email. “We appreciate the assistance of the Prosecutor’s Office in administering the program and providing the initial supply of Narcan to our agency.”
Murray said that Narcan itself is not dangerous — with “no euphoric properties and minimal side effects.” Even if Narcan is administrated to a person who is not experiencing an overdose, it cannot harm the patient. Narcan is supplied in the kits in nasal form and can easily be administered by someone with little or no medical background.
“Because police officers often arrive on the scene prior to emergency medical personnel, they will now be able to intervene and provide relief until back up help arrives,’’ said Murray.
Although the County has purchased the 250 Narcan kits being distributed county-wide, the local agencies will be responsible for replenishing these kits once they are depleted.
Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of Detectives Anthony Ambrose said all agencies are expected to begin picking up their kits today between 9 am and 1 p.m. at the Essex County Hospital Center in Cedar Grove.
