Narcan Saves Lives, But Cannot Rescue All Overdoses

Two dozen people are alive today after overdosing on heroin two months after the first kits of the heroin overdose antidote naloxone. or Narcan, were delivered to police departments across Monmouth County, but not every deployment of naloxone results with an overdose reversal, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

The reality of Narcan not being the final weapon against the plague of heroin addiction throughout the county was driven home after a 50-year-old Wall Township man died despite receiving the antidote from police and emergency personnel.

On Wednesday, Wall Township police responded to a township residence where they found the 50-year-old man unresponsive with no pulse and not breathing. A past history of drug abuse issues and evidence at the scene prompted the use of naloxone with negative results. The man was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, where he died later that day.

“This man’s death serves as a reminder that naloxone is not a cure-all for heroin addiction, and is by no means a 100 percent failsafe alternative to reversing the effects of a heroin overdose,” Gramiccioni said.

The first deployment of naloxone occurred on June 5 of this year in Ocean Township, less than four hours after the Monmouth County Police Chief’s Association announced the deployment of the overdose antidote.

To date, naloxone has been deployed 26 times by law enforcement officers across Monmouth County, reversing the effects of the heroin overdose 24 times. The Borough of Belmar has the most overdose reversals currently at five, closely followed by Middletown with four reversals and Keansburg with three reversals.

“A heroin overdose is serious business, and not something that can be taken lightly by users who are thinking naloxone will save the day, because although naloxone is a life-saver most of the time it is not a life-saver all of the time,” said Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Marc C. LeMieux.

On Sunday, two teen-aged girls, a 16-year-old Colts Neck girl and a 15-year-old Middletown girl, were on the receiving end of naloxone deployments after police in their respective townships responded to reports of their heroin overdoses. The 15-year-old Middletown girl needed two doses of naloxone to reverse the effects of her heroin overdose.

In April, Monmouth and Ocean counties were designated by Governor Chris Christie as the pilot programs for deployment of naloxone with law enforcement officers. By the end of the month, a designated training officer from every law enforcement agency in Monmouth County, including the law enforcement entities at Brookdale Community College and Monmouth University, were trained during two train-the-trainer sessions at the county police academy. Those trainers were tasked with returning to their respective departments to train the patrol officers in using the overdose antidote.

Since 1999, the rate of overdose deaths attributed to prescription opiates has increased over 400 percent, and from 2006 to 2010 there has been a 45 percent increase in heroin overdose deaths across the United States. In New Jersey there was a 24 percent increase in opiate and heroin related overdose deaths in just the 18-26-year-old group – the largest user group abusing heroin and prescription opiates.

In Monmouth County, between 2011 and 2013, the rate of people who died from heroin and prescription opiate abuse is three times the number of homicides and highway fatalities combined.

The deployment of naloxone is an added tool for law enforcement across New Jersey to aid in the fight against heroin and opiate overdose deaths, but prevention and education are the key ingredients to fighting this deadly addiction.

In May 2012, Governor Christie signed into law “The Overdose Prevention Act” providing a two-prong approach to aid in the prevention of drug overdose deaths across New Jersey by providing legal protection to people who are in violation of the law while they are attempting to help a drug overdose victim, and eliminating legal action against health care professionals or bystanders who administer overdose antidotes in life-threatening situations.

In August 2013, Prosecutor Gramiccioni declared the prescription opiate and heroin problem in Monmouth County had reached epidemic proportions. That declaration was followed by Gramiccioni launching a heroin awareness program for parents and students to bring attention to the fatal reality of prescription opiate and heroin addiction in collaboration with the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, Prevention First and many other institutions and organizations working in the trenches of getting drug abusers the help they need. The awareness campaign was sparked by the increase in overdose deaths for young adults in the 18-26 years old group, and has focused on changing the conversation about the realities of heroin and prescription opiate addiction and the fatal consequences for the biggest killer of people in Monmouth County.

The naloxone kits are paid for by forfeiture funds in the County Law Enforcement Trust Account (CLETA). The CLETA fund is an accumulation of money seized during arrests as the proceeds of illegal activity.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, contact Monmouth County Office of Addiction Services at:

732-431-6451.