Pubdate: Fri, 23 Oct 2015 Source: Orange County Register, The (CA) Copyright: 2015 The Orange County Register Contact: http://www.ocregister.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321 Author: Alma Fausto DEPUTIES TO CARRY DRUG OVERDOSE KITS IN CARS Some Orange County sheriff's deputies have started carrying anti-opioid drug kits in their patrol cars to help combat overdose deaths, which officials say have increased in Orange County. Starting Oct. 7, deputies in three cities Stanton, Mission Viejo and Laguna Niguel are equipped with and trained to use naloxone kits, said Lt. Jeff Hallock of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Officials chose one city from each of the department's patrol divisions. Deputies will carry the kits as part of a six-month pilot Overdose Prevention Program. At the end, program officials will look into implementing it throughout the department's jurisdiction. Naloxene hydrochloride is a prescription drug used, commonly in emergency rooms, to reverse the effects of narcotic drugs. Deputies believe it will be a way to more quickly treat people who have overdosed. It's administered through the nose of the patient. "If (deputies) arrive before ambulances to the call, we can deploy (the drug) rather than having to wait for them," Hallock said. Hallock said the need for the drug, called an opioid antagonist, has increased because the use of heroin and opioids is on the rise in Orange County. In 2014, 70 percent of drug overdose deaths 263 of 376 were opioid-related, according to the Sheriff's Department. Heroin overdoses in Orange County have increased 84 percent from 2012 to 2014, the department added. The department has partnered with the OC Health Care Agency, which is in charge of distributing naloxone, training in its use and monitoring the program. The costs of the program are being covered by funds seized and forfeited by drug trafficking organizations during investigations. Similar programs are in place throughout the country, including California, but the Sheriff's Department is the first agency in the county to replicate them. "With this being an option we felt that this is an effective way to potentially decrease those" overdose deaths, Hallock said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom