With opioid drug overdoses on the rise in Warren County, more emergency response agencies are beginning to carry a lifesaving medicine that can reverse the effects of drugs like heroin and opioid painkillers.Warrenton police officers will begin carrying naloxone hydrochloride, also distributed under the brand name Narcan, which comes in the form of a nasal spray that can be used as emergency treatment for overdoses. That can be especially important if a police officer arrives to an overdose call before emergency medical services.

“We are trained and ready to go,” said Chief Greg Houdyshell. “We’ll have it out on the road to hopefully save some lives.”

Warren County Ambulance District Staff already carry naloxone, and have been using it with increasing frequency since 2010, according to information provided to The Record. There was an especially sharp jump in usage from 2015 to 2016, more than doubling from 64 naloxone uses to 148.

Warrenton Fire Protection District staff also began carrying naloxone in mid-January this year, Chief Mike Owenby said. The heads of other law enforcement and fire protection agencies in Warren County said they are preparing to deploy the drug as well.

For more information about the growing number of overdose cases in Warren County and how naloxone reverses the effects of an overdose, read the March 16 issue of the Warren County Record.Naloxone