Police department now has Narcan for use, distribution

A decision by the Cambridge-Guernsey County Health Department to stop participating in Project DAWN earlier this year left police officers in Cambridge unprepared to face a suspected drug overdose.

The health department previously provided local police officers with a life-saving drug through Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone) coordinated by the Ohio Department of Health. 

"When the health department stopped participating in the DAWN project, it left us without Narcan on the road," said Cambridge Police Capt. Dave Peoples. "We didn't have Narcan for overdose victims or our officers in the event of an accident ingestion."

The Cambridge-Guernsey County Health Department ceased participation on Dec. 31 after joining the program in July 2015.

"The health department felt in late fall of 2020 that resources and the supply of naloxone would be better distributed through mental health and addiction services and law enforcement agencies in the county," said Rose Ball, health department administrator.

"Discussion with the Ohio Department of Health began in October 2020 regarding the Project Dawn Program and the direction the program was going. ODH was notified after the December 2020 board of health meeting that Project Dawn would be discontinued."

The police department decided to take action and in February applied to be a Project DAWN provider through ODH. The agency was approved in July and started receiving Project DAWN kits for distribution and use by officers.

"Once approved, you receive an allotment of funds that can be used to purchase the DAWN kits," said Peoples. "We don't actually receive any money, but we can purchase one of two types of kits from the Ohio Department of Health."

Peoples said the department has received full kits that contain Naloxone (also known by the brand name Narcan) and a face shield for rescue breaths while partial kits contain only Naloxone.

"It is huge to have it available," said Peoples. "We (officers) know we are not going to fix the problem and we can't arrest our way out of the problem, so if we have something that can help people that's important."

The police department averages approximately a half-dozen overdose calls a week. The exact number of actual overdose cases was not available as the department did not track those statistics

The department also now receives Narcan for officers from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to help protect them while on duty.

Peoples said the Cambridge department averages administering eight to 10 doses of naloxone or Narcan each month due to opioid overdoses in the city.

"We are normally the first emergency responders to arrive on scene," said Peoples of the frequency of doses administer by police. "And, that total doesn't include doses that are administered by the fire department or ambulance services."

According to ODH, naloxone (aka Narcan) is a medication that can reverse an overdose caused by an opioid drug (heroin, illicit fentanyl, or prescription pain medications).

When administered during an overdose, naloxone blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and quickly restores breathing.

Naloxone has been used safely by emergency medical professionals for more than 40 years and has only one critical function — prevent overdose deaths by reversing the effects of opioids.

Naloxone is a safe, non-controlled drug and has no potential for abuse, according to the ODH website.

If naloxone is given to a person who is not experiencing an opioid overdose, it is harmless. If naloxone is administered to a person who is dependent on opioids, it will produce withdrawal symptoms that are not life-threatening.

Naloxone can be administered in three ways — intranasal spray, intramuscular or subcutaneous, and intravenous injection. The Project DAWN kits include intranasal spray.

Local emergency responders are familiar with the opponents of the naloxone or Narcan distribution systems.

They believe it's their job to render first aide and not decide who, or if someone, should receive a potentially life-saving medication.

"What if it was your kid," asked Peoples. "There is a huge debate on both sides and whether or not it's a choice or a disease. Some people say it's a choice while others believe it's a disease.

"And, if we have something that can help someone no matter if it is a choice or a disease, it's our duty to help with that."

Peoples said the police department doesn't follow up with individuals who receive a dose or multiple doses of naloxone, but there are agencies in place through Guernsey County that provide mental health and/or addiction recovery services.

As part of the program, Peoples said the department will maintain statistics regarding the use of naloxone in the city.

Project DAWN was named in memory of Leslie Dawn Cooper, who struggled with a substance use disorder for many years before dying from a witnessed opioid overdose on Oct. 3, 2009.

The first Project DAWN site was established in Cooper's hometown of Portsmouth in 2012.

Since then, Project DAWN has expanded to a collective of more than 271 naloxone distribution sites including the Cambridge Police Department that cover approximately 65 of Ohio’s 88 counties.

Project DAWN programs distribute naloxone and provide training at one or more sites to prevent opioid overdose and promote harm reduction.

"Anyone can receive a Project DAWN kit," said Peoples. "They have to watch a video that provides information such as the warning signs of an overdose before they receive a kit, but they can get them through our department."

Officers are also training for naloxone administration through Project DAWN and other first aid including CPR, according to Peoples.

The captain cautioned that while the police department is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the officers in charges of distributing the kits are not available those same hours.

Individuals can call the police department, 740-439-4431, to learn more about the Project DAWN kits and whey they are available.

Other Project DAWN distribution sites can include health departments, syringe service programs, community grassroots organizations, emergency departments, correctional facilities, leave-behind programs with emergency medical services (EMS), street outreach and online or mail-order services.

Anyone in Ohio can obtain free naloxone and overdose response education through Project DAWN locations.

To learn more, visit the ODH website, odh.ohio.gov.