MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp announces today that during 2015 Morris County Law Enforcement agencies collectively saved 42 people from succumbing to a fatal opiate overdose through the administration of Narcan® (Naloxone).
In the summer of 2014, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office formally launched a Nasal Narcan® (Naloxone) program in Morris County that trained and equipped Morris County police officers to administer the antidote Narcan® to persons suffering from an overdose of heroin or prescription opiates. The Morris County Narcan® Program is a partnership between the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, participating municipal police departments and Atlantic Ambulance Corporation. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office arranged with Atlantic Ambulance Corporation to provide training and medical oversight to Morris County municipal police departments that opt to participate in the Narcan® Program. Today there are a total of 27 police departments in Morris County that are equipping their police Officers with Narcan.
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that can be used to counter the effects of an opiate overdose. Naloxone displaces opioids from the receptors in the brain that control the central nervous system and respiratory system. An aerosol form of naloxone, Narcan® is administered nasally through use of a syringe-atomizer.
Unfortunately, police officers in Morris County are encountering significant numbers of overdoses from opiates in the form of heroin, morphine, methadone, codeine, oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet® and Percodan®) and hydrocodone (Vicodin®). This epidemic is being experienced throughout the State of New Jersey.
Tragically, at least 37 individuals died in Morris County during 2015 from an opiate overdose.
However, in 2015 Narcan® was administered by first responding police officers a total of 48 times and is credited with 42 “saves” which represents recovery from a potentially fatal overdose.
Prosecutor Knapp stated: “The State of New Jersey is plagued by addictive heroin and other opiates. Morris County is not immune from this epidemic. Law Enforcement is taking a dynamic approach when dealing with these addictive poisons. Equipping our first responding police officers with Narcan is a critical and compassionate approach to the opiate epidemic. In 2015 there were 42 instances in which police officers valiantly gave someone suffering from an opiate addiction a second chance to seek treatment. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office will continue to work together with local law enforcement and the community to fight against this opiate epidemic. We greatly appreciate the support of Atlantic Health System in this continuing battle.”
Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp wishes to thank all the police officers that saved a life using Narcan in 2015 as well as Atlantic Ambulance Corporation and, specifically their Education Coordinator, Rory McGuinness, MICP, CCEMTP for contributing to the Morris County Narcan Program’s success.
