Nothing to sneeze at
Delco outfits all cops with nasal drug to combat heroin overdoses
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POLICE OFFICERS often have a nose for saving lives, but officers in Delaware County can now save someone's life through their nose thanks to an anti-opiate drug that is administered through the nasal cavities and is being rolled out to every Delco cop.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan announced yesterday that the county will be the first in Pennsylvania to equip all of its 400 patrol cars with nasal naloxone, a nasal spray that counteracts the effects of a heroin overdose.
"It's almost a miracle drug," Whelan said. "It's the difference between life and death."
On Saturday, David's Law goes into effect in Pennsylvania, legally allowing cops to administer naloxone, a drug more commonly known as Narcan. Whelan worked hard behind the scenes with the county's 42 police chiefs to make sure that officers were trained and ready to use nasal naloxone on the day the law goes into effect.
Each dose of the drug costs around $23 and all of the county's 400 patrol cars will be outfitted with a kit that contains two doses each, Whelan said. The county funded the project through special funds and forfeiture money, he said.
Allowing cops to use nasal naloxone on those suspected of overdosing on heroin goes hand-in-hand with the second part of David's Law, which provides for good Samaritan immunity to someone who calls for help when they witness an overdose.
"If you're a teenager or young adult and your friend is in the process of overdosing you may get scared and run away," Whelan said. "The Good Samaritan Law gives them immunity if they stay with the person and try to get them assistance and, at the same time, if the police arrive and they have naloxone, this could reverse it."
David's Law was named for Delaware County resident David John Massi II of Upper Chichester, who died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27 last year.
According to the District Attorney's Office, in the last five years heroin has claimed more lives in the county than gun violence or car accidents, with nearly 300 people dying from the drug. This year alone, the county has already tallied 41 heroin-related deaths. That's up from 19 heroin overdoses in 2007.