Pa. Police At Odds Over Naloxone

Dec. 05--LIMERICK -- Sergio Rodriguez believes every life has intrinsic value.

That includes the life of a drug addict who overdoses on heroin or opiate-based prescription pain killers, the Limerick Township patrolman said.

"It's not for us to decide who lives and who dies," Rodriguez said during an interview in the township police station.

Rodriguez and Patrolman Steve Winneberger are part of a squad of Limerick officers, headed by Sgt. Matt Daywalt, who have successfully administered the life-saving drug naloxone to addicts who have overdosed.

Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, counteracts the effects of opiates, which can include depressing the central nervous system to the point where a person stops breathing.

Limerick is among 16 police departments in Montgomery County, including Upper Pottsgrove and Lower Pottsgrove in the Tri-County area, that carry and administer naloxone, either in auto-injection or nasal spray form, according to David Brown, county public safety director.

Brown said there were 18 "saves," or successful deployments of naloxone injections, in Montgomery County from March 1 to Sept. 30, 2015. More recent saves will be included in the fourth-quarter report.

Berks slow to embrace

Police departments in other locations, including Berks County, haven't been as quick to equip patrol officers with naloxone.

Berks District Attorney John T. Adams said only the state police, who cover several rural municipalities in Berks, and the Kutztown police currently carry the drug in patrol cars.

"There are a few other departments who have expressed an interest, but that's it," Adams said. "I have gone to the Chiefs of Police Association meetings and sent out several emails, but there has not been much interest."

Limerick's Daywalt said he understands why some police departments might not want to take on the added responsibility of administering the medication to a dying addict.

"I understand the reaction," he said. "It's an unknown. I think it would make anyone think twice."

But Winneberger said the last time he administered naloxone, the patient began breathing again almost immediately. In about five minutes the overdose victim was conscious and on his way to a hospital.

"It varies from person to person, but it works," Winneberger said.

Last week, Winneberger and Rodriguez helped the Limerick department chalk up its fifth save this year.

Limerick Chief William Albany said his officers are often first to arrive at the scene of a drug overdose.

"It just made sense to me," Albany said of providing naloxone. "Our officers are now carrying a life-saving drug in their cars."

Police cite objections

In a statewide survey by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a bipartisan resource agency, 82 percent of police departments that responded said they don't carry the drug.

Some said they relied on emergency medical teams for such procedures, while others cited cost as a prohibitive factor. Officer safety, difficulty getting training and liability were among other reasons.

West Reading Police Chief Steve Powell said he met with Western Berks Ambulance and West Reading fire officials before deciding against equipping borough police with naloxone.

West Reading is a relatively small community, and police and ambulance personnel often arrive at an overdose call at the same time, Powell said.

"That, and we have the largest medical facility in the county here in the borough," he said, referring to Reading Hospital.

Northern Berks Chief Scott Eaken, who is president of the Berks County Chiefs of Police Association, has cited his reasons for not equipping his officers with naloxone.

"Medical people who are used to administering medicine to individuals are the people who should be doing it, rather than police officers," Eaken said.

Future change of heart?

In April, Dr. Rachel L. Levine, state physician general, issued an order permitting all first responders across the state to obtain and use naloxone. In Berks County, the Council on Chemical Abuse, or COCA, was able to start handing out naloxone kits.

Kathy Noll, a program analyst at COCA, said the agency has distributed dozens of kits to school nurses, homeless coalition representatives and families of addicts. But none have gone to police departments.

Kevin Steele, Montgomery County's district attorney-elect, said he is a big advocate of naloxone, and he worked with other Montgomery County officials to encourage its use and make it available to police.

Initially, Steele acknowledged, there was resistance.

"But then you had municipalities like Limerick and Upper Providence townships who began experiencing more and more overdoses, and their chiefs got on board," Steele said. "I have worked very closely with John Adams over the years, and once officers see how simple it is to use, more departments in Berks County will begin to accept naloxone."

Contact Dan Kelly: 610-371-5040 or dkelly@readingeagle.com.

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Naloxone survey

Due partly to a sharp increase in overdose deaths from heroin and prescription pain medications, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania conducted a survey this year to determine how many police departments are using the anti-opioid drug naloxone, also known as Narcan. The survey produced these conclusions:

--Drug overdose calls are widespread. In the past year, 84 percent of departments responded to one or more overdose calls. This response was consistent regardless of the location or size of the police department.

--In Pennsylvania, 82 percent of police departments are not carrying naloxone currently. However, over the next three months, 28 percent of departments plan to provide naloxone to their officers.

--Reliance on emergency technicians and cost are two major reasons why police departments say they don't carry naloxone.

--In the past year, 55 percent of police departments responded to one or more overdose fatalities. These departments reported 579 overdose deaths.

--For 70 percent of overdose calls, police are the first responders.

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