Narcan available to public
Throughout his career, Canonsburg police Chief Alex Coghill has seen people overcome heroin addiction and become productive citizens.
“My stance has always been: We’re in the business of saving lives and property, and it’s not for us to judge,” said Coghill. “It is worth saving lives.”
Opiate addiction is nothing new, but the growing heroin epidemic in Western Pennsylvania caused officials to take a proactive approach in the fight. One such initiative is the distribution of naloxone, or Narcan, to reverse the effects of an overdose.
In May, Canonsburg became the first police department in Washington County to keep the heroin antidote in patrol cars. Trained by Washington Drug & Alcohol Commission, 21 police departments, 24 fire departments and six schools in Washington County are equipped to administer it.
From June 29 to Feb. 2, 36 Narcan kits administered by the commission were used, with four of the overdoses resulting in fatalities.
“That’s pretty incredible if you think about the fact that first responders were able to make these reversals,” said Cheryl D. Andrews, executive director of the commission. “Two weeks ago, our kits were being utilized. In many of those instances, what could have been fatalities before were not fatalities because we have kits in the hands of these first responders.”
David Hickton, U.S. attorney for Western Pennsylvania, issued a warning Feb. 3 because of a recent spike in heroin overdoses. In Washington County alone, 15 people were revived by Narcan over a period of several days.
“(An overdose) can happen any time, any place. We really need to be prepared,” Andrews said. “We’re just training people what to look for and to take that extra step to make sure somebody’s OK.”
The public now has the opportunity to be trained in Narcan administration through seminars led by members of the commission and local physician Dr. Mitchell West.
Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome and his group, Communities Moving Forward Coalition, will sponsor a March 10 seminar at Frank Sarris Public Library, where participants will learn ways to reduce the risk of accidental overdose, how to identify symptoms of an overdose, what to do – and not do – when a person overdoses and how to administer Narcan. A limited supply of Narcan will be available to those in need of a take-home supply.
The commission will hold a second seminar April 5 at Peters Township Library in McMurray.
“Everyone deserves a second chance,” said Rhome. “When you start to think about doing programs like this, hopefully, it never happens to you. But statistics show us that drug addiction begins in the medicine cabinet. So many times, when we talk to people addicted to heroin … it started with pain pills. When they ran out of those, unfortunately, they graduated to other things.
“Once you’re on heroin, it’s a long road back to recovery. This training is for anyone: mothers, brothers, aunts, uncles. There’s no boundaries with this.”
Participation is limited to 30 people per event. Andrews said those who can’t get a prescription for Narcan from their doctor can contact the commission.
Citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report 47,055 people died as a result of drug overdoses in 2014, Walgreens representatives announced Tuesday Narcan will be available without a prescription at its pharmacies in 35 states. According to spokeswoman Emily Hartwig, every store in Pennsylvania will be stocked by the end of the year.
To register for Washington Drug & Alcohol Commission training or for information on addiction, call 724-223-1181 or visit www.wdacinc.org.