On a different thread, V14 regular Hoss raised the question of “Nasal Narcan” in Newton.
In much of Eastern Mass there has been a huge uptick in recent years of heroin use. Nasal Narcan can be administered by EMT’s and police on the scene of an overdose to save a life. In many of the hardest hit communities, first responders now carry and are trained in the use of Narcan, as standard procedure and have saved lives.
Hoss’s question – has Newton equipped its police and EMT’s with Nasal Narcan? Should they?
While heroin has only occasionally turned up on Newton’s police blotter, it’s foolish to think our community is immune to the scourge that has swamped other towns and cities in the area.
I’m a Newton resident who has been affected by the heroin scourge. Last fall my wife noticed a Dunkin’ Donuts cup in our yard waste bucket which was left by the street. When she picked it up it was rattling as if there was something inside. She opened the cup to find a used hypodermic needle and a condom (presumably used to wrap up the drug user’s arm before shooting up).
I live at the end of a dead end street so perhaps it’s a good spot for a junkie to get his/her fix. I was fortunate that the junky was courteous enough to put the needle in a coffee cup. Maybe next time the junky will throw it into the grass and my 4-year old daughter will pick it up and injure herself and even worse, contract a terrible disease.
It was a scary episode and made us realize that our Newton Centre zip code does not make us immune to what’s happening. After this happened, I searched the internet and found that discarded needles have become a problem in other towns such as Newburyport. I don’t have any solutions but I wanted to share my experience so others will be a bit more cautious.
Newton emergency responders should definitely carry this potentially life-saving treatment. Does anyone here know if they do?
Newton contracts its EMS work to Cataldo Ambulance. There are 2 ALS level trucks on duty at all times, both of which are equipped with both the nasal and IV versions of Narcan.
The distinction you’re discussing is similar to allowing police and fire to use Epi-Pens. The hang-up is that, technically, using nasal Narcan or an Epi-Pen is administering a drug to a patient, which is, traditionally, an ALS level skill. Police and fire in Newton are not ALS level care providers, and as such, require special training and permissions to use these items. These permission have to come from both the City as well as ER doctors from NWH. It’s not as simple a process, legally, as it would seem to the lay person.
As an aside, Newton Fire has recently gone through this process to get Epi-Pens in the hands of Department members for use in emergencies.
This article describes the seriousness of the situation. The City of Brockton has had 17 heroin deaths in the last 17 days. It just strikes me as a encroaching crisis. http://www.enterprisenews.com/article/20140303/NEWS/140309029/0/SEARCH
Eric – thanks for the info
Hoss – That’s 7th (not 17) in 17 days. It’s still horrific.
I do work for a health center in Boston which provides Suboxone treatment and they indicate that the high quality of the heroin now available in New England means that many people are inhaling the drug not injecting it. It also costs significantly less than prescription pain pills so that many people who were abusing prescription pain medication have switched to heroin which is cheaper and more potent.