11/18/2021
The Oakland County Jail is now offering discharged inmates free naloxone (Narcan®) nasal rescue kits that can reverse the potentially fatal effects of an opioid overdose through a recently installed vending machine near the jail’s discharge area. Deputies advise discharged inmates as part of the release process that they may take the Narcan kit with them for personal use or for a family member who may be opioid dependent.
“We have seen a significant increase in opioid deaths and instances where law enforcement is called on during a crisis,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “This is a nationwide crisis as it was just announced we have hit an all-time high in overdose deaths in the last 12 months. This is everyone’s problem. This program gives us one more tool to help our residents. We have an opportunity to save lives and provide a second chance.”
According to published reports today, in the 12-month period that ended in April, more than 100,000 Americans died of overdoses, up almost 30 percent from the 78,000 deaths in the prior year, according to provisional figures from the National Center for Health Statistics. It was the first time the number of overdose deaths in the United States exceeded 100,000 a year, more than the toll of car crashes and gun fatalities combined. Overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2015.
The Sheriff’s Office is among the first in the state to participate in the Narcan project through Wayne State University’s School of Social Work and its Center for Behavioral Health and Justice. The project is patterned after a 2019 program in Los Angeles in which Narcan vending machines were installed in the discharge area and distributed 30,000 individual doses in 2020.
The center identified jails that might be interested in the program and approached the Sheriff’s Office, which is the largest full-service sheriff’s office in the state. The center purchased the vending machines through grant funding and the Narcan kits are provided to the jail at no cost.
The kits contain two doses of medication and an instruction sheet for safe use. The kits normally cost about $75 each but are provided to the Sheriff’s Office at no charge by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Narcan is believed to be the lone antidote to reverse opioid overdose and prevent death. There is no potential for addiction or abuse and Narcan cannot harm a person who doesn’t have opioids present in their system.
In 2020, Oakland County had 255 drug-related deaths, with 211 of those having the presence of opioids.
The Sheriff’s Office frequently responds to incidents where Narcan is required, including at least seven in the past two weeks where the subjects were revived. In 2020, there were 67 Narcan
“saves” in which a person was revived. Through October of this year in Oakland County, there have been 124 instances where Deputies used the rescue kit. They were successful in all but eight instances.
More troubling is recent news that multiple overdoses are occurring in other communities where ma*****na laced with fentanyl is being smoked. The user is unaware of the potentially deadly combination, making it even more pressing that Michigan take legislative action to punish anyone involved in ma*****na sales who is not licensed and inspected to ensure content and safety.
