More than 480 opioid overdose reversals have been administered by police in the last seven months
More than 480 naloxone reversals have been administered by police officers in Camden County since officials agreed to distribute the life-saving tool to all police officers seven months ago, according to a news release.
Naloxone is a critical antidote to the fatal effects of an opioid overdose, and the program has successful so far, county officials said.
“For police today, having naloxone on their belt or in their car is no different than carrying their radio, handcuffs and firearm,” Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli said in a statement. “This is another tool that they can use to save a life and I’ve spoken to officers that have deployed it more than 25 different times to protect the sanctity of life.”
Naloxone is a medication that acts as an opioid antagonist and can, in most instances, make someone overdosing start breathing again by dislodging the opioid from the receptors in the brain.
Currently, about 120 people a day are dying of opioid overdoses throughout the country, and, last year, more than 277 Camden County residents fatally overdosed, according to the release.
The naloxone program began earlier this year when a memorandum of understanding was signed between the county’s four healthcare providers and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office to provide the antidote to police officers.
The aggregate number being presented only accounts for deployments by law enforcement personnel and does not take into consideration other first responders administering naloxone. In addition, the total number also does not include deployments by private citizens or emergency department personnel.
