Redmond police report encountering, reversing more opioid overdoses

(Update: Adding video, comments)

Officers have needed to administer naloxone more often

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Redmond city councilors on Tuesday night approved the police department's request for more naloxone from the Central Oregon Health Council to deal with a rising number of opioid overdoses.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention close to 47,000 Americans overdosed on opioids in 2018. Close to 550 of those deaths happened in Oregon.

The grant will supply Redmond police with 30 doses of the opioid overdose reversal drug.

In the last three years the Redmond Police Department, and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office have been a part of the Central Oregon Pain Standards Task Force Naloxone grant program.

“It’s really important that people realize that we’re able to carry naloxone because of the Central Oregon Health Council,” police Lt. Jesse Peterson told NewsChannel 21 on Wednesday.

Between May 2017 and September 2019, the Redmond Police Department used naloxone, also known as Narcan, 17 times. In just half the time, between September 2019 and July of this year, officers used the drug 14 times while saving nine lives. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office has used the treatment 12 times in the same time period.

“Officers use naloxone, and we have shown that it’s been needed more recently than it has in the past,” Petersen said.

Kim Swanson with the Central Oregon Pain Standards Task Force said she believes fentanyl being introduced into Central Oregon is the main cause of overdoses.

“We’ve seen over time that the need for first responders to have naloxone has steadfastly increased overtime," Swanson said.