Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office To Carry Narcan
A Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
In an attempt to help combat the Opioid overdose epidemic sweeping across the nation, Deputies with the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office will now be carrying Narcan, a drug designed to block the effects of Opioid use. Persons experiencing an Opioid overdose suffer from a depressed respiratory system, which often times causes them to stop breathing. Narcan is designed to reverse this effect. Deputies will be carrying a nasal-mist form of this drug.
The purchase of this medication was made possible by a $900 grant which the Sheriff’s Office received from the SIEDA Community Action Behavior Health and Treatment Center, located in Ottumwa, Iowa. Deputies received specialized instruction in the use of Narcan through the Mahaska County Emergency Management Agency.
In 2017, there were seven Opioid overdoses within Mahaska County. Three of these subjects died as a result of their overdoses, the remaining four were administered Narcan by medical personnel and survived.