Anti-overdose drug saves second Carrboro victim

Naloxone, an anti-overdose drug, proved its worth yet again when its application assisted the Carrboro Police Department in saving the life of one Carrboro resident last week.

Carrboro police officers received a report about three potential drug overdoses at 5:27 p.m. Thursday.

Capt. Chris Atack, spokesman for Carrboro Police Department, said Carrboro officers were the first to arrive on the scene, discovering all three of the victims were unconscious. Two of the victims were 19 years old and the third was 17.

Two of the three victims were in critical condition. Officer Erasmo Velazquez Jr. administered naloxone to one of the victims, who regained consciousness as medics carried him down the stairs to the ambulance.

All three were taken to the hospital and were in good condition Monday.

Atack said it is likely that they overdosed on the drug fentanyl, a powerful opioid.

This is the second time Carrboro police used naloxone on an overdose victim.

Atack said police officers’s use of naloxone is a step toward addressing drug overdoses.

“If we have officers that can render a scene safe and then render the naloxone, then it’s a win-win situation,” he said.

Stacy Shelp, spokeswoman for Orange County Health Department, said the department does not see a lot of drug overdoses in Orange County.

“We have a 300 percent increase in overdose deaths since 1999, and that sounds like a lot, but that’s only because the number was small to begin with,” she said.

The Orange County Health Department is the first health department in the state to administer naloxone prescriptions and has administered two kits since it began prescribing naloxone in 2014. Naloxone kits are free for patients.

The drug is administered to patients who are prescribed opioid drugs or abuse opioid drugs. Naloxone is also distributed to family members of these patients.

Lt. Josh Mecimore, Chapel Hill Police Department spokesman, said the department is finalizing the paperwork necessary to begin implementing naloxone. All patrol officers and supervisors are trained in the use of naloxone, which includes about 70 employees.

Mecimore said the police department is typically the first unit on scene for overdose incidents.

“The ability to save lives in those situations is measured in seconds,” he said. “Naloxone requires minimal training and expertise but could very easily save lives.”

Shelp said a benefit of naloxone is that it can’t be abused, but at the same time, the drug does not replace the need for medical care.

“Naloxone definitely saves lives,” she said. “A part of the solution is keeping patients alive and getting them the help they need, but it’s not a permanent fix.”

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