150 Narcan Kits Donated to Help Prevent Heroin Deaths

150 Narcan Kits Donated to Help Prevent Heroin Deaths
(OCCMHA Press Release, Nov. 6, 2015)
Training, treatment, and intervention are all part of the strategy to equip and prepare Oakland County deputies in the ongoing campaign against opioid misuse and heroin overdoses. This collaborative effort is being spearheaded by Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority (OCCMHA) and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to provide the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office with approximately 150 Narcan kits throughout the year, potentially saving lives during an opioid or heroin overdose,” said Christina Nicholas, manager of OCCMHA’s Office of Substance Abuse Services (OSAS) Team. “Additionally, we want to be instrumental in linking these people to the necessary treatment for them to begin their journey toward recovery.”
Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a medication used to reverse the effects of opioids and heroin, especially during an overdose. The Narcan being supplied to the Oakland County Sheriff’s office is in nasal spray form, making it more convenient for deputies to administer.
The kits also include an information card connecting people to mental health and substance use services through OCCMHA and Oakland County’s Prior Authorization and Central Evaluation (PACE) access points.
“I personally fought for law enforcement to have the ability to carry and administer Narcan in the Michigan Legislature. We launched our program as soon as the bill was signed into law, “said Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard. “Since March 2015, the Sheriff’s Office has administered and saved the lives of 17 individuals. We are proud to partner with the Community Mental Health Authority to provide more Narcan kits to our boots on the ground.”
In addition to the kits, OCCMHA will offer technical assistance, capacity building, and financial support to assist in the establishment of a Law Enforcement Responds with Naloxone (LERN) program. Law enforcement agencies that participate in LERN will receive a basic understanding of addiction neurobiology and how the over-prescription of medication has lead Oakland County, and the nation, to an unprecedented mortality rate from drug overdoses. The program also illustrates how stigma and misinformation about the disease of addiction are barriers to treatment and prevention.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100 Americans are losing their life to a drug overdose each and every day,” adds Nicholas. “Through partnerships like the one between OCCMHA and the Sheriff’s office, we can have a positive impact on this devastating figure. We must stay focused on education, prevention, and life saving options like the use of Narcan.”
 
Future plans to expand the LERN program and to provide Narcan kits to all Oakland County law enforcement agencies, including local police departments, are included in OCCMH’s substance use prevention and treatment strategy. For more information about substance use services in Oakland County, visit www.occmha.org and click on the Substance Use Services link.

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