From the City of Hendersonville:
Hendersonville Police Officers to carry Overdose Kits
Chief Herbert Blake is proud to announce that officers of the Hendersonville Police Department have joined the over 1,214 public safety agencies in the United States, and the more than 130 law enforcement agencies in North Carolina, in partnership with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) to carry naloxone (Narcan).
“We were prudent and deliberate in our research before deploying Narcan. We came to the conclusion that we can positively serve our community and potentially save lives by having our police officers equipped with naloxone. Our officers are, at times, the first to arrive on the scene of an overdose. We owe it to our citizens to ensure our officers have the training and the necessary tools — naloxone, to make a difference when it matters the most. According to the NCHRC, as of last August service providers that have Narcan kits have successfully administered naloxone more than 3,750 times. The number of reversals for North Carolina responders have been responsible for is substantial — 312 as of December 1, 2016. So adding naloxone as an option is a positive step. This is a chance to save lives. Moreover, very recently there was a story about a life being saved by reversing an overdose because an upstate South Carolina police department had their officers equipped and trained to administer Narcan. All of this said, as of the release of this information, a concrete policy to include a detailed naloxone reporting form have been adopted by us. Hendersonville Police Officers have been duly trained to administer Narcan and are ready to execute if needed. I would like to thank Lieutenant Mike Vesely for taking the lead in this affirmative endeavor and assuming the task of Narcan Coordinator for our agency. Mike has made this implementation smooth and cost effective. I would also like to acknowledge the support and the encouragement we received from city leadership in regards to this endeavor. To end, we encourage our citizens to contact us if they have questions or concerns about the Hendersonville Police Department’s narcan initiative.” – Chief Herbert Blake
For more information please contact Lieutenant Vesely at 828-697-3031.
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