January 14th, 2020 – 4:00 PM
Chris Fincher – Floyd County Police Department
The Floyd County Police Department received a generous donation of the opioid antidote naloxone from Floyd Against Drugs on Tuesday. This donation will equip officers to save lives and revive overdose victims who are unresponsive as a result of opioids.
The gift from Floyd Against Drugs (FAD) is part of their work to fulfill a need in our community. Thanks to fundraising by the group they were able to purchase 96 containers which
contain two doses each at a cost of $7,200.
The opioid resistance drug is delivered by a nasal spray in a one-use dose. Floyd County Police Department received 32 containers (64 doses) of naloxone, which is
more commonly known by its trade name Narcan, which according to their web site is “the first and only FDA approved nasal form of naloxone for emergency treatment of a known or
suspected opioid overdose.”
Police officers are most often the first to arrive on the scene for an unresponsive person and having an easy to use antidote will save lives. The community awareness group also provided Narcan to Rome Police and Floyd County Sheriff. “Police officers are on the front line of interaction,” said Ansley Silvers, president of the advisory board of FAD.
“This is not treatment it’s saving a life.” “FAD wants to make sure our law enforcement is protected during this crisis and equipped to protect and assist the citizens of Floyd County,” Silvers said. Chief Mark Wallace said that it’s not uncommon for officers to administer more than one dose of Narcan when they encounter an unresponsive person at an emergency scene.
“This is a tremendous gift that is very needful and appreciated during this time in the opioid crisis,” he said. “It’s an issue that impacts all levels of society and we’re glad to be a little better prepared to help our community thanks to FAD.”