narcan_courtesey_PAgov_office_Governor_Tom_Wolf
By David Walsh

A dose of Narcan nasal spray. / Photo courtesy of the Office of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf

By MATT BLOIS

The Spring Hill Police Department has received a medicine that can reverse opioid overdoses.

Narcan is a nasal spray that contains the drug naloxone, which binds to opioid receptors in the brain to prevent death. It’s is designed to be easy to use so that people without specialized medical training can stop an overdose.

The staff in the ambulances that serve Spring Hill already carry Narcan, as do the firefighters that respond to emergencies. Police officers have received training on how to use it, but until now they haven’t carried it with them. Normally, an ambulance or fire engine will get to a medical emergency before police, but Public Information Officer Justin Whitwell said it’s important for police to have the drug as well.

“We want to be issued it just in case we’re there first and we can recognize the symptoms,” he said.

Overdose deaths in Tennessee increased by about 40 percent between 2012 and 2016. In Williamson County only one person died of a heroin overdose between 2012 and 2013, but seven people died from heroin overdoses in 2016. The numbers for overdoses of other opioids are even higher.

The overdose death rate in Williamson County is slightly lower than the rest of the state, but Whitwell said it’s becoming a bigger problem.

“It’s growing by leaps and bounds,” he said. “People don’t believe that heroin and meth … are in Spring Hill, but they are.”

Emergency Communications Director Brandi Smith said in addition to the new medicine some emergency responders will get training on how to show civilians how to administer the drug during an emergency.

Narcan doesn’t require a prescription, and it’s available at any Walgreens in America. If someone is worried that a friend of family member could overdose, they can walk into the Wallgreens on Port Royal Road and buy a box. It costs $139.99 for two doses of four milligrams each, but insurance may cover some of that cost.