Pennsylvania law enforcement use of Narcan

Opioid-related drug overdose deaths continue to rise at an alarming rate and have reached the level of a national crisis [1,2]. Timely administration of naloxone (Narcan ®) can reverse the respiratory depression characteristic of opioid overdoses. A series of state legislative changes have recently occurred enabling law enforcement to carry and administer naloxone [3,4]. Pennsylvania (PA), a state with one of the highest rates of death due to opioid overdose, enact ed PA Act 139 in 2014, which allows first responders to administer naloxone to people with suspected overdoses and provides immunity to those responding to and reporting overdoses [1,2].

Source: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine - January 27, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Jeanne L. Jacoby, Lauren M. Crowley, Robert D. Cannon, Kira D. Weaver, Tara K. Henry-Morrow, Kathryn A. Henry, Allison N. Kayne, Colleen E. Urban, Robert A. Gyory, John F. McCarthy Source Type: research