By O’Dell Isaac
The Gazette
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Colorado Springs Fire Department is launching an initiative that officials hope will help keep opioid overdoses from turning fatal.
The goal of the Narcan Leave Behind Project is to provide naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, to individuals who are most likely to witness or experience an overdose, said Stein Bronsky, the Fire Department’s medical director.
“This medication literally saves a life,” Bronsky said Monday. “We want this in the hands of everybody in the community that could possibly need it or want it.”
The department applied for, and received, more than 1,000 doses of the opiate antagonist through the Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund, initiated by a state Senate bill to provide eligible organizations with large quantities of Narcan at little or no cost.
CSFD used the one-time grant to make more than 500 “leave behind” kits, each with two doses of Narcan, for department vehicles and public health units. The department will also give some of the kits to American Medical Response, officials said.
According to the El Paso County coroner’s recently released annual report, 94% of drug-related deaths occurred before responders could get the patient to a hospital. The purpose of the Leave Behind Project is to supply at-risk residents with the means to immediately treat a suspected overdose.
“Opioid addiction is difficult to overcome,” Bronsky said. “Some people just need a little help and assistance, and this is one of the tools we can use.”
The growing fentanyl crisis in Colorado and across the U.S. is a multifaceted problem, and officials acknowledge that no single program is going to solve it. But with fentanyl-related deaths continuing to increase in El Paso County, any potential solution is worth a try.
“With the amount of fentanyl that we have circulating in our community, very small doses can stop someone from breathing and send them into arrest,” Bronsky said.
When a person stops breathing, the brain is deprived of oxygen and cells can begin to die within minutes, officials said. That’s why, when someone overdoses, every second counts.
“Time matters in a situation like this,” Bronsky said. “If someone is not breathing, we need to resuscitate them as soon as possible.”
The Narcan doses are simple to use, officials said. Just place the applicator into the nostril of the patient, and press the button to release the dose.
“It’s as easy to use as a nasal spray that you buy over the counter,” Bronsky said.
Also, Narcan does not produce harmful side effects. If it’s administered unnecessarily, it doesn’t hurt the patient.
“If it’s given, and it doesn’t need to be given, it causes no harm,” Bronsky said. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”
That’s why CSFD advises anyone who suspects an overdose to administer Narcan as soon as possible.
“We don’t want to wait,” Bronsky said. “If there’s any suspicion at all we want people to administer the Narcan.”
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Near-fatal fentanyl overdose in El Paso County jail reported, 2 facing charges
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On June 1, Tommy Mills, 45, was found unresponsive in his cell from a small amount of fentanyl, according to a release from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. Mills was resuscitated after he was given multiple doses of Narcan.
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