Just 48 hours after deploying the first doses of Naloxone to KPD officers, the opiate overdose drug was successfully administerd to a 32-year-old male who had suffered an overdose. The male was transported to UT Medical Center where he is currently listed in stable condition.
Naloxone instantly reverses the effects of an opiate-caused overdose. This includes heroin overdoses. Since 2013, we have had 176 overdose incidents where we responded and made a report. But we know that number does not include all the overdoses that occurred during that same time. According to the latest statistics from the Department of Health, there were 133 overdose deaths in Knox County in 2014. State law now allows officers to carry Naloxone and to administer it to those who are in distress from an Opioid overdose. Naloxone will continued to be distributed to all officers throughout the City of Knoxville as we receive the medical kits.
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