While opioid overdoses have begun to level out recently in Huntington County, according to law enforcement, officials said they are ready to intervene this summer, when opioid overdoses tend to rise.
So far, Huntington County first responders have saved 19 lives this year, since the department began carrying the opioid overdose antidote, naloxone, Huntington County Sheriff Terry Stoffel said.
His department has 50 doses of naloxone on hand, thanks to an Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) grant that allows registered distributors to provide the antidote to first responders, free of charge, and the general public over-over-the-counter at a subsidized cost.
Stoffel said he feels the number of overdoses are beginning to slow down thanks to public education about the dangers of heroin, but he said his department is in the business of helping the community.
“We’ve had many deaths because of this (opioid epidemic), but many saves because of this (antidote),” he said.
Stoffel added that his department often gets asked about why they are saving drug addicts.
“We are in the business of saving people, and we’re not stopping with this. We’re not playing God whether somebody lives or dies, and if we can save them, we’re going to save them and hope they get the necessary help so they can turn their life around and get off the stuff,” he said.
In 2016, former Indiana State Health Commissioner and current U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams issued a standing order, making naloxone available over the counter. Since then, more than 2,250 intranasal naloxone kits and nearly 1,300 auto injectors were dispensed through ISDH.
While Huntington County Health Department Public Health Nurse Katherine Rush said their department is not distributing naloxone to the public at this time, she said anyone who wants to carry the life-saving drug can buy it from select pharmacies.
Wabash County Health Department offers the antidote for free and gives citizens a 30-minute training session on how to stay safe while administering the antidote.
In April, Adams issued the first U.S. General advisory in 15 years to encourage citizens to carry naloxone in order to combat the growing number of overdoses around the country. Between 2010 and 2016, the number of overdoses more than doubled from 21,089 to 42,249, which Adams attributed to the “rapid proliferation of illicitly made fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids.”
Stoffel said first responders wear protective gear and carry multiple doses when arriving on the scene because of the potency of some synthetic opioids that can be stronger than heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We have to carry more than one dose in the event that we are dealing with someone who has fentanyl on them and it’s readily available on their skin, as it’s absorbed through the skin. We go to try and do life saving measures, and if we get an exposure, we have to have a dose for ourselves,” he said.