NARCAN

FDA to give priority review to nonprescription form of naloxone, a life-saving drug used to treat suspected drug overdoses.

The Florida Department of Health Brevard County is providing free Narcan nasal spray kits to help reverse the impacts of drug overdoses, according to a release by the department.

The Florida Department of Health in Osceola County is set to provide free Naloxone nasal spray kits to help reverse the impacts of drug overdoses, according to a release by the department.

A 15-year-old girl in Riverside, Calif. stopped breathing -- and that's when the school resource officer, assistant principal and other staff jumped in, authorities said.

INTERLACHEN, Fla. — A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly giving a toddler fentanyl candy, officials say. The grandparents believe it happened after the child allegedly got candy from Jessica Martinez. Deputies spoke with Martinez who allegedly told them her “hands were dirty in fentanyl,” according to PCSO. According to PCSO, Martinez had a prior active warrant for possession of a controlled substance. Martinez allegedly told the deputy that “fentanyl is her drug of choice,” and she took it hours before she had contact with the child, PCSO said.

But we quickly learned about illicit fentanyl, and the effects of it,” Amy Neville, of Orange County, Calif., told Yahoo News. As little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl can kill someone, and the potent opioid is highly trafficked nationwide. Now drug cartels are distributing the lethal opioid in rainbow-colored pills that are apparently intended to appeal to children and teenagers. Madeline Hilliard, the founder of Team Awareness Combating Overdose, a nonprofit that focuses on drug overdose prevention, says young people have long been targeted as a market. To help combat drug overdoses, the organization encourages the use of fentanyl test strips, which can be used to check illicit drugs for fentanyl.

A Texas Department of Public Safety conducted a traffic stop and was hospitalized after being exposed to what officers later determined to be fentanyl.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the nation, at least seven students have overdosed on possible fentanyl-laced pills in just the past month.

Some city libraries offering life-saving Narcan to fight opioid overdoses.

ORLANDO, Fla. — A special service was held Wednesday to mourn the lives lost in Central Florida on International Overdose Awareness Day. Watch: Central Florida fentanyl overdose numbers on the rise among elderlyLocal leaders attended an emotional ceremony at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Orlando to talk about solutions to this growing problem. Photos: Central Florida mourns lives lost to addiction on International Overdose Awareness DayExpand Autoplay Image 1 of 9 Central Florida mourns lives lost to addiction on International Overdose Awareness DayThey were united by the same mission: to reduce drug overdose deaths and break the stigma surrounding it. Read: ‘Rainbow’ fentanyl warning: DEA says brightly colored pills, powder used to target young usersHealth department data shows the alarming number of deaths from drug poisoning in Central Florida. Data shows more than 1,000 people died from overdoses in Florida last year.

VIDEO: Police, addiction experts call for better access to life-saving Narcan The COVID-19 pandemic made an already deadly opioid crisis even worse. READ: DEA report details concerns over flow of ‘purple’ fentanyl to Central FloridaHowever, some experts say expanding access to the life-saving drug Narcan has made an impact in the fight against addiction. “In a lot of cases, it’s not people that are necessarily addicted to anything or struggling with substance use,” Bettis said. “It’s someone who decided to experiment once.”It’s why Bettis and other experts who study substance abuse are calling for greater availability of Narcan. “There are so many medications where if you misuse it, there can be a lot of harm,” Bettis said.

The settlement includes supplying up to $1.2 billion in Narcan, a nasal spray​ used to reverse opioid overdoses.

VIDEO: 11-year-old boy overdoses on fentanyl, boy’s uncle behind bars, police say VIDEO: 11-year-old boy overdoses on fentanyl, boy’s uncle behind bars, police say (Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com/WFTV)SANFORD, Fla. — An 11-year-old boy overdosed on fentanyl at a Seminole County homeless camp, according to Sanford Police. Police said the boy overdosed on fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs. The boy’s uncle, Vincent Scott, is now being charged with child neglect. Scott then rode his bike back down to the homeless camp and administered the doses. Channel 9 asked to talk to Sanford Police about this case and whether this 11-year-old boy was on Child Protective Services’ radar, but they could not speak to us on Tuesday.

The University of Central Florida is the first in Central Florida, and the first public university in the state, to give students and staff the power to save their own lives if they’re overdosing.

Opioid Trial-West Virginia FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2019, file photo, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey speaks at a news conference in Martinsburg, W.Va. Attorneys for the state of West Virginia and two remaining pharmaceutical manufacturers have reached a tentative $161.5 million settlement just as closing arguments were set to begin in a seven-week trial over the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday, May 25, 2022. (Matthew Umstead/The Herald-Mail via AP, File) (Matthew Umstead)CHARLESTON, W.Va. — (AP) — Attorneys for the state of West Virginia and two remaining pharmaceutical manufacturers have reached a tentative $161.5 million settlement just as closing arguments were set to begin in a seven-week trial over the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday. West Virginia had reached a $99 million settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson's subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. last month over the drugmaker's role in perpetuating the opioid crisis in the state that has long led the nation in drug overdose deaths. Before the trial started, Morrisey's office announced the state settled part of the lawsuit involving another defendant, Endo Health Solutions, for $26 million.

Attorneys for the state of West Virginia and two remaining pharmaceutical manufacturers have reached a tentative $161.5 million settlement.

As drug overdoses are on the rise across the nation, more states are beginning to decriminalize fentanyl testing strips.

Daniel Auster, the son of renowned Brooklyn author Paul Auster, took heroin the day his 10-month-old daughter died of an overdose — and he tried to save her with Narcan before calling police, according to prosecutors. Auster, 44, told police he injected heroin in his Park Slope home after his wife left for work on Nov. 1, then took a nap with little Ruby, placing her in the bed next to him, ...

Spring Break-Fentanyl-Florida Huston Ochoa, a clinical counselor for The Spot, hands out samples of Narcan, which can reduce opioid overdoses, to spring breakers on Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fla., on March 31, 2022. “But the spring breakers have been great. Gentles, who worked as a bartender and bouncer in New York City before moving to Fort Lauderdale, said he appreciates their efforts. The following Monday, more than 100 people representing agencies from law enforcement to social service organizations and hospitals met via Zoom to devise a plan to keep spring breakers safe. Smith, of The SPOT, said spring breakers were “grateful and appreciative” and his group now has to plan how to "keep the momentum going."

Community activists in South Florida sprang into action after West Point cadets on spring break were sickened by fentanyl-laced cocaine at a house party.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Gollan said Friday that six people in town for Spring Break were exposed to fentanyl and went into cardiac arrest. Two remain in critical condition as of late Friday.

Flagler County Fire Rescue has an additional 400 doses of Narcan, stocking each rescue truck, thanks to the Florida Department of Health.

In front of the Orange County Opioid Advisory Committee, Sergeant Stephen Marra with the Orlando Police Department explained how six officers ended up at the hospital on Wednesday.

A 13-year-old was hospitalized after falling ill at a Connecticut school that did not have Narcan on hand. He died two days later.

The death of a Connecticut seventh grader from an apparent fentanyl overdose has renewed calls for schools to carry the opioid antidote naloxone.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly took part in the treatment of an overdose victim in Palm Coast's W-Section during his Friday night patrol.

Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner asked the public for time to conduct a "proper investigation" into the mass casualty event.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Two officers with the University of Central Florida’s Police Department used CPR training and two doses of Narcan to rescue a man from a drug overdose Monday. Last night, officers saved a life by administering two doses of Narcan, medicine that quickly reverses an opioid overdose. (@UCFPolice) November 2, 2021One officer immediately administered a dose of the emergency overdose drug Narcan. According to an incident report, the man began gasping for air but quickly became unresponsive again. In the body camera video, one officer can be heard explaining to the man’s friends what to do in that situation.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A woman who lost her son to a fentanyl overdose was handing out Narcan to people around Seminole County to prevent an overdose the day after the owner of a rehab center was arrested for selling fentanyl. Investigators said Misty Gilley was selling fentanyl out of Simply Recovery Clinic and her home on Second Street in Altamonte Springs to her own rehab clients. Della Wiggins was handing out Narcan to people in Seminole County. As part of Advocates for Angels, a group for parents who lost a child to substance use disorder. READ: Mac Miller’s drug supplier pleads guilty to fentanyl charge in rapper’s fatal overdose“It’s a slap in the face,” she said.

A McHenry County judge denied a woman’s request to have her case thrown out under the statute.

Beacon Point is one of the few all-encompassing campuses in the state where opioid addicts at any stage can come for every kind of treatment.

The county is on track to surpass last year's overdose deaths.

According to the most recent data from the CDC, overdose deaths in the United States rose 29.4% in 2020.

Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told CNBC's "The News with Shepard Smith" that she's hopeful that the spike in drug overdoses will not be lasting.

A Michigan trooper was given Narcan during a traffic stop after he was exposed to a drug, officials say.

FILE - In this April 26, 2018, file photo, a man lies on the sidewalk beside a recyclable trash bin in San Francisco. A record 621 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco so far this year, a staggering number that far outpaces the 173 deaths from COVID-19 the city has seen thus far. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)SAN FRANCISCO – A record 621 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco so far this year, a staggering number that far outpaces the 173 deaths from COVID-19 the city has seen thus far. The crisis fueled by the powerful painkiller fentanyl could have been far worse if it wasn't for the nearly 3,000 times Narcan was used from January to the beginning of November to save someone from the brink of death, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday. The data reflects the number of times people report using Narcan to the Drug Overdose Prevention and Education Project, a city-funded program that coordinates San Francisco’s response to overdose, or return to refill their supply.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A Deltona mother is on a mission to deliver a life-saving treatment after she lost her son to drugs last year. While Smith is licensed to train and administer the spray, it is not required according to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. Sheriff Chitwood said Volusia County is still in the thick of an opioid crisis and showed News 6 body camera video of deputies responding to drug overdoses. I would encourage anybody, if you have an addiction in your life, make sure Narcan is present because you would absolutely save somebody’s life,” said Sheriff Chitwood. I want a mom to wake up in the morning and say, thank God my child is alive today because of the Narcan,” she said.

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said 24 warrants have been issued in a drug sweep. The Sheriff’s Office said the warrants were issued after undercover investigations took place with drug dealers in Flagler County. Deputies said Narcan has been used 80 times by investigators in 2020 compared to 40 times the year prior. The Sheriff’s Office said there have been 17 fatal overdoses in Flagler County in 2020, there were 14 fatal overdoses in the county in 2019. The Sheriff’s Office said the 24 suspects have been previously arrested a combined total of 440 times.

COCOA, Fla. – For the second time in two weeks, a young child in Brevard County required the aid of the opioid-overdose reversal drug Narcan after coming into contact with heroin, according to authorities. After unsuccessfully trying to wake the child, two other people in the home told Roush she needed to call 911, according to the report. Deputies said Roush knowingly and willingly impeded the medical response for the child. When BCFR and deputies arrived, the Narcan nasal spray was administered to the child to stop him or her from overdosing. The Narcan was successful and the child became responsive, according to the report.

All four individuals were treated by Ocala Police Department officers, who had to use Narcan, a nasal form of naloxone used to treat suspected opioid overdoses. Last week, OPD officials said they had recorded 67 overdose cases, 11 deaths and 28 Narcan saves by officers so far this year. When they arrived, two officers gave the male, unknown age, two doses of Narcan. An officer gave the man two doses of Narcan. Medical personnel arrived and gave the man Narcan while taking him to the hospital.

Last November 29, Christine Touhey led sheriffs deputies to her mother, Cecilia Touhey, 60, in one of the houses bedrooms. On Friday, sheriffs deputies responded to yet another overdose call at 39 Belleaire, this time, the victim did not survive. Bryan Touhey had called 911 to report that Tara Sanfilippo, 28, had possibly overdosed on Xanax and Fentanyl. Christine Touhey had started CPR. A sheriffs sergeant administered a dose of Narcan and took over CPR when he arrived, and another dose was administered before rescue paramedics took Sanfilippo to AdventHealth.

The number of drug overdoses and deaths in Volusia and Flagler Counties continues to be a problem. When asked how many people shes lost to a drug overdose, 31-year-old Amber Kelley-Wilmath couldnt give a definite number. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 70,237 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2017, the most recent year data is available. In Volusia County, the vast majority of Narcan is administered by EMS and fire rescue crews. Just 5% of the overdoses in Volusia County in 2019 were from opioid pills while 35% were from heroin and 10% were from fentanyl.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Nick Gordon, the ex-partner of the late Bobbi Kristina Brown, died in Altamonte Springs last month after overdosing on heroin, according to an autopsy report. Records show Gordon, 30, was found unresponsive in a room at The Sheraton Hotel in Maitland on Jan. 1 and was taken to Advent Health Altamonte Springs, where he died. An autopsy report released Thursday shows that heroin toxicity was to blame for Gordon’s death. Investigators with the medical examiner’s office were not able to determine exactly how Brown died. After Houston’s death, Gordon and Bobbi Kristina went public with their romance.

West Orange Healthcare District andthe Public Good Projects, a public health nonprofit, have made a documentary about the opioid epidemic calledIt Impacts Us All. Lately, opioid synthetics like fentanyl have contributed to a spike in Orange County's drug deaths. "It impacts us all, and that truly is what we see, particularly in Orange County. The opioid epidemic has impacted every race, every religion, every socioeconomic background from rich to poor, white to black, anyone. click to enlarge Screenshot via It Impacts Us All/YouTube"I think the title of the documentary is perhaps the most fitting of any title we could come up with," Orange County's director of public safety Danny

DELTONA, Fla. - A Deltona woman found unconscious behind the wheel on Interstate 4 is charged with child neglect after deputies say she overdosed on heroin while driving with three children in the back seat and her 12-year-old had to put the car in neutral. The 12-year-old told deputies her mother stopped at a home on Deltona Boulevard and went into the house for a while before beginning to drive. She told deputies she was driving to her sister's house in North Carolina with the children when her back started to hurt. She said she stopped at the Deltona home to get some heroin for the pain, deputies said. "It's not but I had no pain killer and my back was hurting and I was making a five-hour trip," Smith told deputies.

PALM BAY, Fla. - A woman ran away after rear-ending a BMW, became unconscious and had to be revived by Narcan, according to the Palm Bay Police Department. Police said the crash happened after midnight on Friday on Jupiter Boulevard when Rebecca Rhodes, 31, hit the car and then ran into some nearby bushes. Rhodes was found unconscious nearby but began to respond when paramedics gave her Narcan, which is used to treat opioid overdoses, according to the report. She faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and leaving the scene of a crash with injuries. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

Blaire said paramedics are responding to the same addicts over and over, sometimes as many as three times in one day. Ocala firefighters leave behind doses of Narcan after treating overdoses as part of a new program. Blaire said when first responders leave Narcan behind, they also leave information about the overdoese reversal drug and addiction - including how to administer Narcan, and how to take advantage of several free resources in Marion County to overcome addiction. "Now sometimes we go to the calls and the family has already administered Narcan," Blaire said. "Narcan Leave Behind doesn't mean you treat your family member and go about your business," Blaire said.

A dose of Narcan Ocala firefighters can leave behind after treating an overdose. Ocala firefighters leave behind doses of Narcan after treating overdoses as part of a new program. "Now sometimes we go to the calls and the family has already administered Narcan," Blaire said. "Narcan Leave Behind doesn't mean you treat your family member and go about your business," Blaire said. A Narcan kit Ocala firefighters use when responding to an overdose.

A retired Boynton Beach firefighter and paramedic who travels the Southeast trying to get the heroin-overdose-reversal drug Narcan into as many hands as possible will be in Gainesville and Ocala for the next few days. Luis Garcia uses GoFundMe donations to pay for his mission: Training as many people as he can reach on how to use the drug on those who have overdosed. Garcia will bounce between Ocala and Gainesville for several days. His schedule of meetings, which are free and open to the public, include: Thursday, 7-9 p.m. at Kingdom Revival Church, 3318 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala Saturday, 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Tuscawilla Skate Park, 829 NE Sanchez Ave. in Ocala Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Kingdom Revival Church, 3318 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

She was given Narcan for a possible opioid overdose after OPD officers pulled her from the water. Ocala police officers pulled a 41-year-old woman from a pond in Tuscawilla Park and took her into custody under the Marchman Act. The woman, who police officials said is homeless, was given a dose of Narcan by medical personnel. When Officers Mike Brinkley and Shelby Roberts arrived, they saw the woman lying on her back. Before being taken to the hospital, woman said she had drunk a significant amount of alcohol.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The state's opioid epidemic is affecting more than drug users, it's putting law enforcement and their K-9 partners at risk. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood says all of his k-9 handlers are equipped with Narcan. Last year while raiding a suspected drug dealers home, three Broward County K-9s were rushed to veterinarians after ingesting a potentially deadly mix of heroin mixed with fentenyl. "If its gonna save a human life, why not save one of our k-9 partners as well." Now when put themselves in harms way to protect their community, their handlers will have a way to protect them.