Clarkstown Police Department will have a new tool to mitigate the effects of opiate overdose, possibly saving lives.
CPD has entered into partnership with the Rockland Paramedic Services, Inc., a registered NYS Department of Health Opioid Overdose Prevention Program, as a pilot program to be the first police department in the county and the Hudson Valley region to train and equip Clarkstown police officers to administer naloxone as a first responder to medical emergencies.
The use of naloxone, an intranasal prescription medication, has proven to be effective in reversing the effects of an opioid drug overdose. Opioid drugs include, but are not limited to, heroin, morphine, oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone, and codeine.
Intranasal naloxone is generally effective within five to 10 minutes of administration. If an individual was suffering from an opioid drug overdose, intranasal naloxone will cause that person to regain consciousness and resume normal breathing.
Accordingly, officers will be trained and equipped to administer intranasal naloxone to persons who appear to be suffering from an opioid overdose.
As first responders to medical emergencies in the Town of Clarkstown, working in partnership with Rockland Paramedics and Clarkstown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, naxolone will supplement our first responder medical capabilities that include Emergency Medical Dispatch, First Aid, CPR and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). The goal is to provide Officers with this life saving medication to intervene immediately in a drug overdose and provide the level of medical response and care that the citizens of Clarkstown deserve and expect.
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