Pa. Police to Carry Narcan

Nov. 24--Delaware County police officers will be the first in Pennsylvania to be able to carry Naloxone, a drug that can quickly reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, officials announced Monday.

The county recently purchased 900 doses of nasal naloxone to be distributed to police who are usually first on the scene of the medical emergency.

"Minutes make a difference," said District Attorney Jack Whelan, "Those who overdose are somebody's child and somebody's family member."

In September, Gov. Corbett signed a bill that gives police access to Naloxone nasal spray and provide immunity from prosecution. The law takes effect on Saturday.

The cost for one dose of naloxone would be about $23, paid for with a combination of special and general funding and money from the Drug Asset Forfeiture Program, Whelan said.

The doses will go into 400 patrol cars from the 42 police agencies that service the county's municipalities. In addition, doses will be provided to SEPTA and County Park Police units, Whelan said.

Whelan said that even though administering medication is not traditionally a responsibility of police, every chief in the county agreed to participate in the program.

"Every single one saw a need for it," Whelan said.

More commonly known as Narcan, the spray can quickly reverse the effects of an opiate overdose, which include difficulty breathing, sleepiness, and life-threatening low blood pressure.

The drug works by blocking the effects of morphine, oxycodone, methadone or heroin on the central nervous system, according to the National Institute of Health.

Previously in Pennsylvania, only paramedics were allowed to administer the drug.

Pennsylvania has the 14th highest drug-overdose mortality rate in the country, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Office staffers said 52 heroin-related deaths were reported in the county in each of the last two years. By contrast, 19 deaths were reported in 2007. Since the start of the year there have been 41 heroin-related deaths in the county, according to the district attorney's office.

In March, Delaware County officials said they would push for legislation to allow police officers to carry the drug.

David's Law, as it is known, is named in memory of David John Massi II, of Upper Chichester, who died on Jan. 27, 2013 at the age of 27 of a heroin overdose.

Already, 17 states, including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, allow police to administer naloxone. In 10 of those states, naloxone can be prescribed to family or friends of an intravenous drug user.

mschaefer@phillynews.com

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@MariSchaefer

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