LYNNWOOD — The young man who’d overdosed on heroin was fortunate — on many levels.
Just last week, the Lynnwood Police Department received training on how to administer naloxone, a prescription medication used on people who have overdosed on heroin or other opioid painkillers, such as morphine, oxycodone and Vicodin.
A plain-clothes, special-operations officer heard the dispatcher’s overdose call and was near the pharmacy where the man was found.
Although Officer Justin Gann hadn’t yet been given a naloxone kit to carry with him, he was in the right place to ask for one.
“He saw it, recognized what was happening, used his head and took action,” Lynnwood Deputy Police Chief Jim Nelson said Thursday.
The incident was reported around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday. Gann was in the area of the pharmacy near 208th Street SW and Highway 99.
The man, 19, had passed out and appeared to be having difficulty breathing, Nelson said.
Gann “asked the pharmacy if they had the drug available and the pharmacist quickly prepared a nasal dosage,” Nelson said.
Gann administered the spray.
It took about 10 to 15 seconds for the man to come to. Gann explained to him that he had overdosed and been given naloxone.
The young man “became very emotional and was grateful to the officer for saving him,” Nelson said.
Aid crews arrived shortly afterward.
Police officers from many agencies across Snohomish County have been getting training over the past two years on the use of naloxone. Dozens of people have been saved by local police since 2015.
While emergency medical professionals have used naloxone for decades, often through injections, it represents a cultural shift for law enforcement. The nasal spray cannot harm the patient and is much simpler to administer. It blocks the effects of opioid overdose, which includes shallow breathing. If administered in time, it can reverse overdose symptoms within a couple of minutes. Each kit costs about $40.
The success in saving lives has caught the attention of the White House, whose Office of Drug Control Policy earlier this year recognized Snohomish County for its innovative efforts in preventing overdose deaths.
About half of Lynnwood’s officers have been trained and the rest will be trained by next week. At that time the officers will have naloxone available to carry with them, Nelson said.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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