The Suffolk County Police Department announced that it is expanding its New York State Health program involving the use of intranasal Narcan, a drug used to revive victims who have fallen into an opiate overdose.
The program will now be introduced to the 5th Precinct in Patchogue, which serves much of the Sachem community, as well as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd precincts. As it stands, only a certified EMT can administer the prescription drug on site. This program has certified more than 800 members of the Suffolk Police force.
With the pilot program already active in the 4th, 6th and 7th precincts, authorities say the training has already saved lives. According to a release, there have been 35 successful administrations of Narcan since July of 2012.
In the Sachem community, there were two cases over the summer where intranasal Narcan was used to revive potentially fatal overdoses. The first involved a 21-year-old woman who had overdosed in her car in the Carvel parking lot on Ronkonkoma Avenue. The second case occurred two days later, this time involving a 26-year-old Holbrook man who had overdosed at a Mobil gas station on Express Drive North.
The trained officers who rescued the two victims worked out of the 4th Precinct.
