Eastpointe is partnering with Sampson County to save lives from opioid overdose.
Eastpointe LME/MCO presented 140 Narcan kits to the Sampson County Sheriff’s Department on May 3. The Nasal Narcan kits are used to deliver the drug Naloxone to persons who have overdosed on opioids. These are the first Narcan kits for the Sampson County Sheriff’s Department.
Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription. When a first responder determines that a person has suffered from an Opioid overdose, they can administer Naloxone, a life-saving drug.
Naloxone is a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist, meaning that it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other opioids. It can very quickly restore normal respiration to a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped because of overdosing with heroin or prescription opioid pain medications. Naloxone only works if a person has opioids in their system; the medication has no effect if opioids are absent.
Melissa Reese, community relations specialist for Sampson County, delivered the Narcan kits to Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton.
“Eastpointe is excited about our partnership with the Sampson County Sheriff’s Department,” Reese stated. “We are using our combined efforts to fight against the deadly opioid epidemic that is ravaging our communities.”