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UGI reports outages on West Side

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Rock icon Pat Benatar playing F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre with husband Neil Giraldo

HANOVER TWP. &#8212; Add Hanover Township police officers to the ever-growing list of police departments in the nation carrying Naloxone &#8212; an opiate antidote &#8212; while on duty. The township&#8217;s police force started using the antidote on Jan. 1. The drug, also known as NarCan, reverses the effects of an opiate &#8212; Vicodin, OxyContin, heroin &#8212; overdose.According to the Luzerne County Coroner&#8217;s office, Luzerne County had 95 total overdose deaths in 2015. Eighty-one of those individuals had an opioid in their systems.According to township police chief Albert Walker, no council vote was necessary to implement the policy.&#8220;(I) felt appropriate to move on (bringing Naloxone to Hanover Township),&#8221; Walker said.David&#8217;s Law, passed in 2014 by former Gov. Ed Rendell, <a href="http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&amp;p_topdoc=1&amp;p_docnum=1&amp;p_sort=YMD_date:D&amp;p_product=NewsBank&amp;p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%20150920FFCBDAC270%20%29&amp;p_docid=150920FFCBDAC270&amp;p_theme=aggdocs&amp;p_queryname=150920FFCBDAC270&amp;f_openurl=yes&amp;p_nbid=W4BS48QFMTQ1NDY4NTgwNy42ODQ1MTk6MTo1OnRpbWVz&amp;&amp;p_multi=WBTB" target="_blank">provides civil immunity from prosecution when NarCan is administered by first responders and prescribed to a third party &#8212; friend or family member</a>.The full-time force, with 15 officers, carries one kit per police car for a total of eight kits. The Hanover Area school resource officers also have access to the drug. An agreement with Medic 9 &#8212; Hanover Township&#8217;s ambulance &#8212; means the police force didn&#8217;t need to file for grant money to purchase the kits; Medic 9 is the provider. The ambulance company will also work with police to rotate the stock because NarCan kits have expiration dates.Walker said members of the force took an online training class and &#8220;hands on training by Medic 9.&#8221;&#8220;They (Medic 9) use it more than we do,&#8221; Walker said.The police, Walker said, must tell Medic 9 &#8212; or assisting medics &#8212; when they deploy the drug.&#8220;Policy notes that EMS must be notified and we recommend more than one officer be on scene when deploying,&#8221; Walker said. &#8220;The subject can get combative (when coming out of an overdose).&#8221;There has no been no pushback from the department on the use of the drug.&#8220;It&#8217;s just another tool for us out in the field,&#8221; Walker said.To deploy the nasal NarCan kits Hanover Township uses, Walker said &#8220;one milliliter (of the drug gets pushed) into each nostril.&#8221; Having the injection prevents the need for intravenous needles and injections.&#8220;It&#8217;s also safer for our police,&#8221; Walker said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have to worry about anyone getting stabbed.&#8221;According to Dr. Robert Friedman, associate medical director of Geisinger&#8217;s Marworth Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Treatment Center in Waverly, there are &#8220;very little side effects if a person has an accidental injection.&#8221;Walker notes NarCan only works on opiates/opioid and not on other drugs, like spice &#8212; synthetic marijuana.How NarCan worksCommon symptoms of an opioid overdose &#8212; opioid use disorder &#8212; include someone being difficult, shallowed and labored breathing. When someone goes into withdrawal, which Friedman said is the opposite of an overdose, the patient will get combative with a fast heart rate, gasping for air.Walker said once the drug is deployed, &#8220;common procedure is to be sent to a hospital (after being treated with NarCan for the overdose).&#8221;According to Friedman, Naloxone can be given in three forms:&#8226; intravenously, which is given in an emergency room setting&#8226; subcutaneously/intramuscular injection&#8226; nasal sprayThe intravenous form begins to work within a minute, whereas the nasal spray and injection begin to work within two to three minutes.&#8220;The effects last for 30 minutes to an hour,&#8221; Friedman said, noting that because effects of an opioid can last longer than NarCan, &#8220;Immediate medical attention is necessary (a second dose sometimes has to be given).&#8221;Most overdoses happen in the home and they&#8217;re accidental, Friedman admits.&#8220;(Opioid use disorder) is the leading cause of death over 45 years old,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The two two biggest spikes in overdose are 20 to 30 and 55-64 year olds.&#8221;Friedman said the spike in overdoses in members of the older population is because they have multiple medical conditions and are prescribed short and long-acting pain medication as well as anxiety medications.&#8220;The combination of the two medications is very dangerous,&#8221; he noted.Treatment availableNarCan is available by prescription and most, if not all, pharmacies carry the drug.Friedman advises a person should seek treatment after their overdose.&#8220;Once in withdrawal (after a dose of NarCan), they&#8217;re going to want to use again,&#8221; Friedman admits.Darlene Davis, president of the Hanover Township Crime Watch, commends the officers for their willingness to help save lives.&#8220;If our Hanover Township Police Department can save a life using NarCan, at least those who have this addiction have a chance to go into a treatment program,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I applaud them for this effort.&#8221;<style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL012616NarcanHanover1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hanover Township Police Chief Albert Walker points out the pieces to a NarCan kit. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL012616NarcanHanover1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hanover Township Police Chief Albert Walker points out the pieces to a NarCan kit. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Melanie Mizenkommizenko@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</shirttailMeta></div>

Hanover Township police officers join elite group of police departments using Naloxone