Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Mt. Juliet Police officers are now equipped with opioid overdose kits to administer to people or fellow officers. A tool designed to save lives – a nasal spray that can be administered to a person overdosing on opioids. The spray is designed to reverse an opiate overdose within minutes.
“Nationwide, we are losing too many individuals from the opioid epidemic,” stated Chief James Hambrick. “Our goal with the kits are to ensure officers are better prepared to respond to overdose incidents and have the tools they need to save another officer’s life if they become exposed to dangerous substances, like fentanyl.”
According to the CDC, opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Opioids were involved in 33,091 deaths in 2015, and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999. Tennessee Department of Health data revealed 1,451 Tennesseans died from drug overdoses in 2015, which includes 37 from Wilson County.
Officers were trained on how to identify the signs of an opioid overdose and properly administer the nasal form of naloxone by personnel from Wilson County Emergency Management Agency.
If anyone suspects someone of an overdose, they should call 911 immediately.
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