Wellesley Police Officer Mark Knapp administered 2 doses of Narcan to a man on Linden Street Friday morning, reviving the individual after he had collapsed near a construction site.
So far this year, the police have received 6 calls where Narcan (also known as Naloxone) was dispensed. This medication can reverse an overdose from opioids.
Swellesley reader Phil Gormley said he was walking his daughter to school this morning through the parking lot behind where a new school is being built-out, and they saw a construction worker fall over. Gormley is a former EMT, so he rushed to the man and saw that his face had become purple and he was semi-responsive but unable to speak. The former EMT called 911 and took vitals on the man, whose friends said he was an opioid user.
Officer Knapp responded within a couple of minutes and immediately administered a nasal dose of Narcan. Three more emergency vehicles (police, fire, ambulance) arrived, then another dose of Narcan was dispensed. That revived the patient enough so that he could sit up.
“Had it not been for the quick, decisive response of Officer Knapp there is a good chance the patient would have died,” Gormley said. “We are very lucky to have such a great emergency response team in Wellesley and that they’ve made Narcan so easily accessible.”
The Wellesley Health Department has several initiatives involving Narcan. This includes a partnership with Newton-Wellesley Hospital, which has been providing Narcan to be distributed to the town’s first responders.
“Additionally, the department in the process of setting up Narcan training for town employees in conjunction with the rollout of Narcan emergency boxes that can be placed in municipal buildings, similar to having an AED available,” says Jhana Wallace, Community Health Coordinator at the Wellesley Health Department.
The District Attorney’s Office has provided Narcan to municipalities, though currently Wellesley has a limited supply. “Our intent is to host training on Narcan for the public in the near future,” Wallace says.
Narcan training has been making more headlines of late because pharmacies have been approved to offer naloxone over the counter.
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