This is a press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
On 07-28-2020 at approximately 10:07 PM, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies were advised by Sheriff’s Office Dispatch that a person was in respiratory arrest and possibly suffering from an overdose at a residence in the 16000 block of Boice Lane in Fort Bragg, California.
Deputies arrived within five minutes to find a 34 year-old male in a comatose state with shallow and sporadic breathing. Deputies observed items suggesting the adult male was, in fact, suffering from an illicit drug overdose.
Deputies administered two dosage units of NARCAN, which after approximately five minutes, caused the adult male to regain consciousness and become alert.
The adult male was transported via ambulance to the hospital for further evaluation/treatment.
In April 2019 the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) began to issue NARCAN® (Naloxone HCI) nasal spray dosage units to its employees as part of their assigned personal protective equipment. MCSO’s goal is in protecting the public and officers from opioid overdoses. Access to naloxone is now considered vital in the U.S. The Center for Disease Control. The California Opioid Overdose Surveillance Dashboard reports Mendocino County ranking, per capita, 3rd in all opioid overdose deaths. (https://discovery.cdph.ca.gov/CDIC/ODdash/) Narcan nasal spray units are widely known to reverse opioid overdose situations in adults and children. Each nasal spray device contains a four milligram dose, according to the manufacturer. Naloxone Hydrochloride, more commonly known by the brand name NARCAN®, blocks the life-threatening effects of opioid overdose (both medications and narcotics) including extreme drowsiness, slowed breathing, or loss of consciousness.
The antidote can reverse the effects of an overdose for up to an hour, but anyone who administers the overdose reversal medication in a non-medical setting is advised to seek emergency medical help right away. The spray units can also be used by Public Safety Professionals who are unknowingly or accidentally exposed to potentially fatal amounts of fentanyl from skin absorption or inhalation.
The issuance of the Narcan nasal units, thus far, have been to employees assigned to the Field Services Division and the Mendocino County Jail medical staff. Employees are required to attend user training prior to being issued the medication.
Sheriff Matthew C. Kendall would like to thank the Mendocino County HHSA Public Health for providing the Narcan nasal units to the Sheriff’s Office free of charge as part of the Free Narcan Grant from the California Department of Public Health.
Since the April 2019 issuance, there have been five separate situations wherein Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Deputies have administered Narcan and saved the lives of five people in need of the life saving antidote medication.
The featured image is from Wikicommons, the photographer is James Heilman, MD and he describes the images as “Naloxone kits as distributed in British Columbia, Canada”.
