NALOXONE-FROM CONCEPT TO DELIVERY-POSITIVE COMMUNITY
By: Commander Rory Lakind, Pacific Grove PD
POLICING PARTNERSHIP
Pacific Grove is a small oceanside community located in Central California, and is well known for its amazing views and for being known as the“ last hometown”. Earlier this year, April or May, the Pacific Grove Police Department was notified that a business owner and some local residents were interested in implementing a needle exchange program at a local pharmacy located in the business district in the heart of the city.
Members from the police department, including the Police Chief, immediately reached out to stakeholders to learn more about the probable implementation of a needle exchange program. Department members met with pharmacy staff, the business owner, and a local physician, who are all committed to public health. During their discussions, a myriad of challenges were vetted and probable solutions were vetted as well. Pharmacy staff, and the local physician, conveyed that the rise in intravenous transmitted diseases, attributed to multiple uses of intravenous needles, as well as, discarded needles left in public places caused their interest for a program where a one-for-one needle exchange would occur.
Unlike other programs on the Central Coast which are situated in industrial settings, the proposed facility is located across from a neighborhood park, near churches, homes, and schools. After a robust and thorough discussion with County Health Officials, it was determined that this may not be an ideal setting for a needle exchange program.
A partnership of understanding and respect was built up between the Police Chief, members of the command team, and the physician who spearheaded the movement. The community / police partnership contributed to continued dialogue regarding a holistic approach to public health and the safety of department members related to the use of Opioids. Monterey County had previously been working on a protocol for approving police departments to carry Naloxone; commonly known as Narcan, but only one city, Carmel-by-the-Sea, had implemented and was approved to carry the opioid reversal nasal spray.
A shift in the original proposal, a needle exchange program, to officers carrying Naloxone occurred because it expanded the possibilities of improving public safety and public health in Pacific Grove. The Police Department’ s Command staff and the physician worked closely together to deliver training for all of the department’ s team members, including professional staff. Ultimately physician provided department-wide training regarding the use of Naloxone, and staff fully embraced the implementation of the new program. Opioid overdose is not as common in Pacific Grove as other parts of the country, and the department already works collaboratively with the fire department and Ambulance Company, both located adjacent to the police department.
Immediately following the training sessions, the physician wrote a prescription and within four days, a box of two doses was stored in every police car. The primary objective was based on Naloxone as an officer safety tool to reverse the symptoms of an accidental opioid exposure, where an officer who accidently touched or inhaled an opioid compound, would need immediate life-saving intervention.
What happened next? On July 31, 2017, just two days after implementing the program, officers were dispatched to an overdose. Officers arrived quickly and recognized the victim, someone known to them as a frequent opioid user, was unconscious. After speaking briefly with his companion, the officers immediately retrieved the Naloxone and administered the first intranasal dose. That did not reverse the overdose and a second dose was subsequently administered according to training. As soon as the second dose was administered, the victim woke up and within a minute was alert and aware of his surroundings. Just about the time the victim was medically revived, the ambulance squad arrived and took over care of the victim who went to the hospital for continued care. The physician at the emergency room, who had been the catalyst for the implementation of the program, stated that the officers saved this person’ s life through their quick and decisive action. That use of Naloxone on July 31, 2017, was the first documented save by a law enforcement agency in Monterey County since the program was enacted.
Shortly after, the department leadership team collaborated with Monterey County Emergency Medical Services and secured permission to carry the opioid reversal spray specifically for saving opioid overdose victims. The department hosted continued training that resulted with County EMS funding the lifesaving program for Naloxone to be used by first responders.
On September 6, 2017, the Pacific Grove Police Department honored the two officers that administered the first does of Naloxone. Both officers received an Award of Merit for outstanding performance of duty under unusual or difficult conditions. During the presentation, the department also acknowledged Dr. Casey Grover of the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, for his leadership and dedication to public health as well as the safety of Monterey County public safety and PGPD team members.
This story was written to exemplify the successful implementation of a lifesaving program through innovative community policing partnerships that provided an opportunity for community stakeholders to achieve a similar goal. The author of this article believes the health and safety of public safety officers and community members have been improved by the strengthening of relationships in and around Pacific Grove, and we look forward to continuing a myriad of partnership in other ways. ■
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