CATLETTSBURG Free Narcan from a University of Kentucky-led program will cease come the close of the calendar year, according a local recovery coach told the Boyd County Fiscal Court.
Brittany Herrington, of Pathways and a member of the Healing Communities task force, said since 2019, the county has received Narcan from the through the University of Kentucky program to be distributed into the community through the health department and other organizations working with high-risk populations.
Herrington, a recovering drug addict herself, said Narcan has the potential to save a life which could see a turn around as a successful and productive member of society.
“I really fear what will happen if we don’t do something,” she said. “If we don’t have Narcan in the county, it would be devastating.”
Narcan is an overdose reversal drug that shuts down the opioid receptors in an overdosing brain, according to Herrington. Last year, Herrington said 7,000 doses were distributed in the community — and that’s not even counting the doses bought by Boyd EMS and the Sheriff’s Department.
“This little box is controversial,” Herrington said. “There’s a lot of people who get queasy when we bring this up, but this saves lives. We had somebody where I work die of a drug overdose, and when I was talking about with my family at the dinner table, my 9-year-old asked why they didn’t have Narcan with them.”
Herrington continued, “If a 9-year-old child has enough sense to know this saves lives, then why are adults so reluctant to have it?”
According to Herrington, Narcan is a nasal spray — one unit administers two 2-milligram doses. Two units are included in a single box, meaning there’s 8 milligrams in a package to be used to revive somebody.
However, Herrington said the fentanyl laced into drugs on the street have resulted in up to 12 milligrams being administered to bring somebody back.
If the individual is suffering from another medical condition, the Narcan will not affect it, Herrington noted. While the shelf life of Narcan is three years, Herrington said she’s heard stories of five-year-old Narcan successfully reviving somebody.
The discussion about Narcan was brought up at the community comment section of the Boyd County Fiscal Court, during which Suzanne Griffith introduced Herrington to inform the commissioners about a program put on by Boyd County Coroner Mark Hammond called “One Pill Can Kill.”
According to Hammond, the death rate of opioid overdoses has risen over the last two years, due in part to the isolation as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns. With more than 50 dead in 2020 and 70-plus dead in 2021, Hammond said if it wasn’t for Narcan, it would be in the hundreds.
“We’re already on track this year to match or surpass last year’s numbers,” Hammond said.
On the night Hammond spoke last week, he said there was a double overdose reported on his way to the event, an overdose while he was at the event, and two overdoses when he got home — one of which was fatal.
Sheriff Bobby Jack Woods said there was a death on Saturday night as a result of an opioid overdose.
“When I first came into office, there were a lot of people with the attitude that they should let them die,” Woods said. “I never believed that and as soon as we could get it, we started carrying Narcan. That’s because that’s somebody’s child — it might be mine, it might be yours, it might be somebody else’s.”
The cost of Narcan has risen, too — back in the days of pill mills and prior to the influx of heroin and fentanyl, Hammond said Narcan cost roughly $2 a pop. Today, it’s $50 — and that’s a decrease from about $70 for a box, according to Herrington.
Currently, Herrington said plans are in the works to make sure Narcan will still be available in the community after the window for the program closes. However, it will probably only be distributed at half the rate, she said.
As a result of her presentation, Herrington actually Narcan trained everyone in the room. With 24 boxes up for grabs, Boyd County Judge-Executive Eric Chaney and commissioners Randy Stapleton and Keith Watts grabbed a box. Commissioner Larry Brown said he carries Narcan in all his vehicles.
For those with Narcan, here’s a refresher on how to use it:
1. Identify the overdose. Ask the unresponsive person if they’re okay or shout their name. Signs of an overdose include unconsciousness, slow, irregular or stopped breathing and pinpoint pupils.
2. Lay the person on their back, peel open the back of the package and open the nasal spray. Hold the Narcan between two fingers, with the thumb on the plunger. Gently insert it into the person’s nose, tilt their held back and press the plunger. Remove it after giving the dose.
3. Call 911 and lay the person on their side. If the person does not respond after two to three minutes, administer another dose.
