The following is a press release issued by the Ukiah Police Department. This has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
On 07-03-2023 at approximately 9:52 A.M., a Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputy was on-duty and overheard a medical call on the radio for an unresponsive subject at a residence in the 700 block of Orr Street in the City of Ukiah (California).
The Deputy was in the area, so he responded and located an open door where he contacted a female resident who was still on 9-1-1 with medical personnel. An Officer from the Ukiah Police Department also responded to assist with this incident. The Deputy located the adult male subject on the kitchen floor, who was unconscious and not breathing.
Fearing the adult male was suffering the beginning stages of a potential lethal drug overdose, the Deputy administered multiple doses of Narcan. The adult male responded to the administered Narcan, and medical personnel arrived shortly thereafter and began providing additional medical treatment.
The adult male subject was ultimately transported to Adventist Health Ukiah Valley for further medical 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. As of 2021, the California Opioid Overdose Surveillance Dashboard reported Mendocino County ranking, per capita, 2nd in all opioid overdose deaths. (https://skylab.cdph.ca.gov/ODdash). Refer to dashboard for current updated ranking information. 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, Corrections 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 Mendocino County 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 now been (17) seventeen separate situations wherein Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Staff have administered NARCAN and saved the lives of (17) seventeen overdosing individuals in need of the lifesaving antidote medication.
In October 2021 the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office received a grant from the California Naloxone Distribution Project through the Department of Health Care Services to help maintain an inventory of the live saving antidote.
The 192 dosage units have been distributed to the Field Services Division and Corrections Division as previous inventories from Mendocino County Public Health have been exhausted.
Sheriff Matthew C. Kendall would like to thank the California Naloxone Distribution Project through the Department of Health Care Services for awarding the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office with the Naloxone grant to better help protect his employees and the public.
