More and more people are carrying Narcan with them so they can help save a life if they encounter someone who has overdosed. And that is making an impact, according to the Springfield Police Department.
SPD’s Lt. Nelson Kibby said drug overdoses have increased in Springfield but deaths have decreased. That’s due to the increased awareness and availability of naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, which reverses an overdose and allows a person to get medical care.
"We’d have a lot more deaths if we did not have Narcan," he said.
Narcan is carried by Springfield Police Officers who could be the first on the scene of a drug overdose.
The use of illicit fentanyl has increased over the last few years in the city, according to Kibby, and the drugs are coming from cartels south of the border.
Their job, he said, is to catch the people who are dealing it. But they are also partnering with organizations like the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and Community Partnership of the Ozarks to try to educate people. Not that they condone the use of illicit drugs, he said, but they want to make sure people who are going to use, don’t use alone and that they carry Narcan with them.
The health department encourages people to include naloxone in their first aid kit so they’re prepared for overdose emergencies at home, at work or at other places they may gather.
Kibby wants people to understand the gravity of using fentanyl.
“It’s deadly. It's not something, you know, you go down to the store, and you buy a pop and a candy bar, and everything's going to be ok," he said. "When you take this, it might be the first time you ever took it, and it may be the last time you ever take it."
He encourages anyone with a substance abuse problem to ask for help.
Signs of an overdose, according to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department are:
· Unusual sleepiness or unresponsiveness
· Slow breathing or absent breathing
· Low blood pressure or slow heartbeat
· Cold or clammy skin
· Tiny pupils
· Nails and lips are blue/purple
An app called Revive gives step-by-step instructions to follow on what to do for a drug overdose as well as where to access naloxone in Greene County. It’s available in the App Store or Goggle Play.
