Chief reviews Narcan usage, overdoses for City Council

Monday, February 12, 2018

For the second straight month, the Greencastle City Council has engaged in some spirited conversation about the opioid crisis that has much of Indiana and the United States in its ugly grip.

While Police Chief Tom Sutherlin revealed at the January session that statistics show the use of methamphetamine, not opioids, remains the No. 1 drug problem in Greencastle, he told city leaders at their February meeting that the city has now experienced its first heroin-related overdose.

“I want to share with the Council that on Jan. 31 we did have our first reported heroin overdose in our community,” Sutherlin said, noting that Narcan was used in that situation to counteract the drug and revive the patient.

Sutherlin’s disclosure came at the end of a discussion of the Greencastle Police Department’s use of Narcan or Naloxone, which is the generic brand of Narcan, that is administered as a nasal mist.

Following the January Council discussion, Sutherlin was asked to provide statistics on local overdoses and the number of times Narcan was utilized by GPD.

“In 2017,” he reported, “we had 22 overdoses in our community. Six of those ended up being opiate overdoses (none due to heroin). In those overdoses we administered five doses of Narcan.

“They were all saved,” Sutherlin said of the overdose victims. “Everbody was brought back around with the Narcan that we use. They were given rides to the hospital via the ambulance, and they did all make it.”

Sutherlin said in one instance it took two doses of Narcan to revive the individual.

“I will tell you,” he assured Council members, “it’s working in the community.”

The police chief explained that the nasal mist variety of Narcan used by his department is a “very slow reacting” application as opposed to that administered via injection.

“If you put it in there with a needle like Operation Life or the hospital do, they (the patients) have much more quick and violent reaction in coming out of it. But we chose not to be responsible for needles or sharps,” Sutherlin said, adding that another reason for choosing the nasal mist was the slower reaction, which makes the patient “a lot less combative coming out of it.”

That explained, City Council President Adam Cohen was still pondering disclosure of the 22 overdoses in 2017.

“We had 22 overdoses in Greencastle,” he repeated as if in disbelief.

“Twenty-two reported overdoses, yes,” Chief Sutherlin responded.

“In Greencastle,” Cohen continued incredulously. “Those aren’t all opiate?”

“No, no,” Sutherlin assured. “A lot of them were alcohol-related.”

Cohen still seemed surprised.

“Still, 22 overdoses, that’s kind of a stunning number,” Cohen added.

Councilman Dave Murray put into a different perspective.

“A couple a month,” he noted.

Sutherlin, meanwhile, wanted to clarify the numbers a bit.

“When I say opiate,” he said, “everyone automatically thinks heroin. I don’t believe any out of the six (opioid overdoses) were heroin-related, it was just opiates.”

Council member Stacie Langdon looked at the numbers another way.

“Five lives saved, that’s what jumps out at me,” she said. “That’s fantastic. We weren’t doing this (until) two years ago?”

Sutherlin said that was correct.

“Right at two years ago is when we went through training and started carrying it (Narcan in GPD patrol cars),” he said.

Back then there were comments, Cohen recalled, “that were critical of us for putting it out there.”

Chief Sutherlin promised to continue to monitor the numbers closely and report back as necessary to the Council.

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  • There will be a Naloxone Training at Greencastle Christian Church Feb 17th at 4:00p m, everyone is welcome,

    Thank you

    -- Posted by LIFE2019 on Tue, Feb 13, 2018, at 6:30 PM
  • Waste of money and resources. This doesn't solve the problem - it manages the problem.

    Paramedics/nurses/doctors are medically trained to treat overdoses.

    Cops should be preventing/solving crime - not saving people from themselves and their own bad decisions.

    Want a better perspective? Read: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-476208/Heroin-addiction-isnt-illness--...

    -- Posted by AverageWhiteGuy on Thu, Feb 15, 2018, at 9:39 AM
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