On May 3, the South Orange Police Department administered Narcan, or Naloxone, to reverse the effects of an opiate overdose at a residence on Church Street.
Chief James Chelel reported that at about 10:30 p.m. on May 3, a Church Street resident called 911 to report that his roommate was “lying on the floor unconscious and was unresponsive.”
Chelel said that, when police arrived, drug use was “evident” at the scene. Sgt. Steven Dolinac administered a dose of nasal Narcan to the victim who immediately regained consciousness and became alert. The South Orange Rescue Squad responded and transported the 30-year-old man to Saint Barnabas Medical Center.
“I commend Sgt. Dolinac and Patrolman Zavian Bryant for their prompt actions under extremely stressful conditions which resulted in the saving of a young man’s life,” said Chelel.
Chelel said that this is the first time the police department has used the Narcan kit on a call since receiving the kits in December as part of a program to assist local law enforcement in treating individuals suspected of overdosing on heroin or other opiates.
With heroin use increasing throughout New Jersey and its suburbs in recent years, the Overdose Prevention Act, allowing physicians to prescribe Narcan to anyone who may be in a position to assist another individual during an opiate overdose, became law in May 2013. 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.
“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 2014.
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.
