There has been some recent discussion about the availability of a drug called naloxone. It is a prescription drug that hospitals use to treat patients who are in critical condition due to an overdose to prescription medications and heroin, both being opiates of course. A while back there was some controversy because of the lack of availability of the drug for use outside hospitals across North America. Luckily in many towns, cities and communities the drug is now available to fire departments and paramedics who are first on the scene to assess the situation and condition of someone overdosing from painkillers and heroin. This was a great step in helping to prevent drug overdoses via opioid medications, but unfortunately there are still a lot of people dying out there because of how fast an overdose can happen and how long it might take for first responders to administer the drug to save the life of the user.
The drug problem in Pennsylvania is becoming one of the worst in the USA, and it’s there that a new initiative is being pushed through in order to save more lives:
“Drug overdose deaths are rising at an alarming rate in Pennsylvania,” said Gary D. St. Hilaire, Capital BlueCross president and CEO. “This is a concerning trend and Capital BlueCross, as part of our community health mission, is taking a proactive role to help. If providing the funding to equip municipal police with overdose rescue kits saves just one person, and gives that individual a chance to recover from a drug problem and live a full and healthy life, we will consider this initiative a success.”
So there you have it. On top of providing the drug to paramedics and fire fighters, the drug will now be provided to users by police if they happen to be on the scene first. It is a terrific step forward as sometimes a police car may be closer than an ambulance or firetruck. Obviously the police will be trained in the use of the drug to ensure that they are administering the drug correctly and safely, but this idea has probably already saved a number of lives even if it is still in it’s infancy.
Praise also belongs to Capital BlueCross as they have gone above and beyond to ensure that this new program and policy works. Due to strict budgets in several Pennsylvania counties and towns, it would have been nearly impossible to secure the funding to start arming police with this valuable tool that can save lives. It’s cooperation and partnership like this that will end up preventing more and more overdose deaths across North America, and as troubling a situation like an overdose is, it can potentially serve a wider purpose as it could be the moment in addict’s life where they decide that they need to change their lifestyles and habits.