Ocala Fire Department pre-emptively delivers Narcan to save lives
Stories of success are making their way back to Ocala Fire Rescue, including the most recent: when Good Samaritans ran to the front office of a motel to grab Narcan during an overdose because they knew the motel manager kept it on hand.
Overdose deaths far outpace COVID-19 deaths in San Francisco
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 โ 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 Franciscoโs response to overdose, or return to refill their supply.
Deltona mom on mission to distribute free Narcan to families after losing son to overdose
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. โ 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 somebodyโs life,โ 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,โ she said.
24 arrest warrants issued in Flagler County drug sweep
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. โ The Flagler County Sheriffโs Office said 24 warrants have been issued in a drug sweep. The Sheriffโs 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 Sheriffโs Office said there have been 17 fatal overdoses in Flagler County in 2020, there were 14 fatal overdoses in the county in 2019. The Sheriffโs Office said the 24 suspects have been previously arrested a combined total of 440 times.
Child required Narcan after touching โstrawโ used to smoke heroin, deputies say
COCOA, Fla. โ 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.
Nick Gordon died of heroin overdose in Altamonte Springs, autopsy shows
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. โ 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 Gordonโs death. Investigators with the medical examinerโs office were not able to determine exactly how Brown died. After Houstonโs death, Gordon and Bobbi Kristina went public with their romance.
Local law enforcement agencies prepared to give K-9s Narcan
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. โ 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.