Officers work to get Narcan into hands of public
Police officers in Connecticut have been using Narcan to save people who have overdosed on opioids for years.
By Roger Susanin
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NAUGATUCK, Connecticut (WFSB) — Police officers in Connecticut have been using Narcan to save people who have overdosed on opioids for years.
But now, as the opiate crises continues, leaders in one community are trying to get the life-saving medication into the hands of more regular people.
It’s small enough to fit in your hand, but Narcan doses are among the most important things Naugatuck police officers carry.
“Officers getting there and deploying Narcan early can sometimes make a life or death difference,” said Naugatuck Deputy Police Chief Colin McAllister.
McAlister said this year alone, Naugatuck officers have deployed doses of Narcan more than 31 times to help save people who were suffering from an opioid overdose.
“We’ve been hit particularly hard, but most of the communities have in this region too,” he said. “We are looking to counter that affect by deploying as much Narcan in the community as possible.”
He said he’s thrilled that soon, more people will have access to Narcan and know how to use it, thanks to an interactive Narcan training event in Naugatuck next week.
“This is going to be our first one since the pandemic and I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for a lot of people,” McAllister said.
The program, which takes place on Monday night at the Naugatuck events center between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., will be co-sponsored by the Department of Youth Services because the opioid epidemic has hit every segment of society.
“It affects everybody, especially families and kids who have to see family members struggling with this and then have to go to school and live their lives,” said Kristin Mabrouk, of Naugatuck Youth Services.
The program promises something for everyone. Folks struggling with addiction issues will get access to resources, organizers will hand out a limited number of Narcan doses and train everyone, so they know how to deploy it, because “everybody has the ability to save somebody’s life with Narcan,” said Sarah Deflumeri, of Naugatuck Youth Services.
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