The Clay County Anti-Drug Coalition is now providing Naloxone to Clay County EMS to have on hand when responding to drug overdoses
Prevention Coordinator Kody Thompson said the Anti-Drug Coalition was able to supply the EMS Department with Naloxone thanks to a federal grant. Thompson said the addition will help EMS them save lives.
“It’s absolutely saving lives,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately, sometimes Naloxone has to be administered multiple times to keep that person alive. And so they have it on hand, and we are just really excited to have this new grant to be able to provide it.”
Thompson said the coalition is also supplying naloxone to local law enforcement. Though Clay County is a rural county, Thompson said the county does often see overdoses.
“I collect that data on a monthly basis,” Thompson said. “I’m happy to report that sometimes there aren’t any overdoses, but we do have overdoses in the community, and the numbers seem relatively low, but when you look at the population as a whole, it’s honestly pretty surprising. And of course, one overdose is too many. So we are just gonna keep doing what we can and expanding the partnerships with local law enforcement and emergency services in our community.”
Some people have a negative viewpoint on naloxone as they believe it encourages drug usage. Thompson said she personally believes Naloxone gives people who have overdosed a fighting chance.
“If somebody is not breathing, they don’t have the opportunity to get help,” Thompson said. “And so this is the medication to save their life, and at that point, the coalition and many other people in the community would love to help that individual on their journey and walk beside them in their path to recovery.”
Thompson said Naloxone has become more available to purchase online through sites like Amazon. However, Thompson said buying Naloxone is not cheap. Thompson said local law enforcement and the EMS Department were very appreciative of receiving the supply of naloxone.
