What is Narcan and How Does it Help?
Narcan is an important tool in the arsenal of first responders on the ground in Cibola’s War on Drugs. A single dose of Narcan can be vital to saving the life of a person who is in an overdose. Narcan is expensive however, and not all first responder agencies in Cibola have a surplus of the life saving medicine. Milan Police Department teamed up with local resident Lynette Gurule to give a demonstration and training to officers about how the medicine works.
Since becoming chief, Milan Police Department’s Carl Ustupski has always pushed preparedness and training for his team. Part of this preparedness is knowing how to use Narcan. Ending the year with education for his team, Ustupski joined forces with local citizen Gurule to have a training for MPD’s officers.
Gurule has a personal stake in this fight. With tears in her eyes, she recounted a time when her mom overdosed and died. Since, Gurule has made it a personal mission to help people who are struggling with drug addiction and prevent overdose deaths, “So no child has to suffer,” she said.
In this training, Gurule explained how to use Narcan and why it works. She pulled out several boxes of Narcan, each one containing a spray bottle not larger than a travel sized bottle of contact solution.
How and Why to Use Narcan
She explained that each bottle contained one dose of Narcan. Using it was as easy as pushing the cap in – when the cap is pushed a spritz of liquid is fired out.
Narcan was designed to stop an opioid overdose in just minutes, potentially saving a person’s life. The bottle is designed for ease-of-use and does not re- quire any needles or even for the individual who is overdosing to inhale the chemicals.
The spritz that comes out of bottle of Narcan contains the chemical Naloxone, which quickly goes to the brain. When Naloxone gets to the brain, its work begins. The medicine begins to force the brain to close the areas that opioid chemicals are entering, with nowhere to go, the overdose will end and a life will potentially be saved.
Chief Ustupski and Gurule showed a video from the chief’s lapel camera that was taken a few years earlier. The video showed law enforcement using Narcan on a man who was overdosing on opioids, not long after the medicine was administered, the man’s eyes shot open and he inhaled a large breath of air. “It’s like he came back to life,” Chief Ustupski said, “He looked like he was dead,” the chief said.
According to a review of medical data from the Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, Naloxone saves the lives of 93.5 percent of people it is used on. Without this medicine, the opioid crisis would be far deadlier.
Every individual case of Narcan use is different, however. Officers discussed how they have either been involved in or have witnessed a person needing several doses of Narcan. The average cost of a single box of Narcan, which on average contains two doses, is approximately $141.
The cost of Narcan makes it expensive for Cibola’s first responder agencies to keep on hand. Due to a partnership she struck up with New Mexico State University-Grants, Gurule was able to provide Milan Police Department with two boxes of Narcan for each officer in the department. Gurule is looking to do the same with Grants Police Department and the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office.
Not Every Person Who Overdoses is an Addict
Typically, Gurule trains people who have no experience using Narcan. This was her first training with experienced Narcan users. While it isn’t a common occurrence in Cibola County, law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical teams find themselves using Narcan often. Gurule wanted to let the public know that Narcan can be used by anyone, not just first responders.
First responders should have access to a surplus of Narcan in the event they are exposed to a narcotic and go into an overdose, but the same is true for families. Narcan is available over the counter at most pharmacies and can potentially save a family member’s life.
“Not every person who overdoses is an addict,” Gurule said, pushing a point she was sure the police already knew “Some people party for a special event, and they won’t know that the drug they are using was tampered with; or, if they’re a former user, they think they can go back to using the same amount that they used to.” She explained that an overdose can occur to anyone, regardless of age, race, financial status, or if they’re an addict.
“It’s better to be prepared,” Gurule said.
The opioid crisis continues to get worse and worse, with drug peddlers disguising pills to look like children’s candy, with the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office having found so-called “rainbow fentanyl” in Cibola County on the interstate. This, Gurule said, is why she takes the threat of overdoses so seriously.