# Eric Holder: Police should carry drugs antidote



## ffemt8978 (Jul 31, 2014)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28589398



> US Attorney General Eric Holder has urged federal law enforcement agencies to equip some of their officers with the heroin overdose antidote naloxone.
> 
> Mr Holder called the increase in overdose deaths "nothing less than a public health crisis".
> 
> Some state and local law enforcement groups, including the New York Police Department, already require officers to carry the drug while on patrol.



A few things about this:
1) since he is only recommending it for federal law enforcement agencies, how much impact will it really have?
2) since when has the Attorney General been able to declare a "public health crisis"?

Thoughts?


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## TransportJockey (Jul 31, 2014)

Federal actually can mean a lot. Border Patrol/Customs and BIA police are the biggest bunch it could affect. 
But I know lots of local municipal agencies who already carry them.


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## DesertMedic66 (Jul 31, 2014)

Don't know about other areas but I can count the number of times a federal agency has responded to an OD in my area. That number is a solid zero.


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## rmabrey (Jul 31, 2014)

I'll go with zero here as well.  I still stand by that an O2 tank and a BVM will better serve the public as a whole than naloxone will.


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## Tigger (Jul 31, 2014)

The local forest service ranger station will try and send a law enforcement ranger on any medical call in the national forest and they are especially good about overdoses and anything where a weapon is involved. The problem is that there are is only one on duty in our area at a time. But we do see them on most calls in their area, and they'll call for deputies too. 

The last SI I ran in the forest saw a ranger and two deputies with ARs on scene...


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## JPINFV (Jul 31, 2014)

DesertEMT66 said:


> Don't know about other areas but I can count the number of times a federal agency has responded to an OD in my area. That number is a solid zero.


I had the US Parks Service dropping off a meth psychosis found over at Lytle Creek. That said, there doesn't seem to be very many heroin ODs in So Cal anyways.


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## vcuemt (Aug 1, 2014)

I think the point is to bring national attention to the problem with the hope that local agencies will follow suit.


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## joshrunkle35 (Aug 1, 2014)

I'm glad the Attorney General can speak to issues for the Surgeon General.


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## Carlos Danger (Aug 2, 2014)

rmabrey said:


> I still stand by that an O2 tank and a BVM will better serve the public as a whole than naloxone will.



Roughly what percentage of law enforcement and the general public would you estimate are skilled at airway management?


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## Kevinf (Aug 2, 2014)

What percentage of EMS is skilled at airway management :unsure:


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## rmabrey (Aug 2, 2014)

Remi said:


> Roughly what percentage of law enforcement and the general public would you estimate are skilled at airway management?


Not sure on the exact numbers but I would bet its higher than the percentage that want to carry narcan.


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## Carlos Danger (Aug 2, 2014)

Kevinf said:


> What percentage of EMS is skilled at airway management :unsure:



Good question. Goes to my point.



rmabrey said:


> Not sure on the exact numbers but I would bet its higher than the percentage that want to carry narcan.



I have no idea how many people WANT to carry nalaxone; I don't think that's the question here at all. 

The point is if you are going to rely on cops and laypeople using a BVM, we might as well just drop the whole idea of helping these OD's at all.


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## Bullets (Aug 5, 2014)

What percentage of the population dies from heroin ODs?

In NJ, last year it was .001%


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## TransportJockey (Aug 5, 2014)

Out here in the southwest the rate is higher just due to distance between communities and the remoteness of some places


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## vcuemt (Aug 5, 2014)

Bullets said:


> What percentage of the population dies from heroin ODs?
> 
> In NJ, last year it was .001%



I must be missing your point.


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## karaya (Aug 5, 2014)

An interesting question that was presented to me from Chris Cebollero was are these responders that carry Naloxone willing to continue treatment of the patient or are they just going to stand back and watch after administration? In other words, will they be carrying an AED and be willing to do CPR, etc. until the Calvary arrives should the Naloxone not produce positive results and the patient continues to go south?


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## NomadicMedic (Aug 5, 2014)

Some departments here have received permission for BLS providers to administer Narcan. Even if they push a milligram of Narcan up an ODs nose, it is still an ALS call. We still use a paramedic to ride to the hospital and monitor the now wake and usually irate patient.

I'm waiting to see what happens when the police start to carry it. The law was just passed in Delaware to allow police officers to carry and administer Narcan. Will they blast Narcan up some guys snout and then bring them home? Arrest him? Put them in the backseat of a police car and drive to the hospital? Or wait for a paramedic and BLS unit?


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## vcuemt (Aug 5, 2014)

DEmedic said:


> Some departments here have received permission for BLS providers to administer Narcan. Even if they push a milligram of Narcan up an ODs nose, it is still an ALS call. We still use a paramedic to ride to the hospital and monitor the now wake and usually irate patient.
> 
> I'm waiting to see what happens when the police start to carry it. The law was just passed in Delaware to allow police officers to carry and administer Narcan. Will they blast Narcan up some guys snout and then bring them home? Arrest him? Put them in the backseat of a police car and drive to the hospital? Or wait for a paramedic and BLS unit?



We've been able to, as BLS providers, administer narcan intranasally for a while now in my system. If I were to do so it wouldn't become an ALS call. I'd be responsible for changing out the drug box at the hospital, etc.

My presumption is that LE would administer narcan concurrent to contacting us.


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