Pennsylvania health officials say a life-saving law to reverse heroin and other opioid overdoses is now in effect.
The law, Act 139, enables first responders (law enforcement, fire fighters and all EMS) to administer naloxone to individuals experiencing an opioid overdose. Commonly-used opioids include heroin, Oxycontin, Fentanyl, Morphine, Vicodin and Percocet.
Additionally, friends or family members with a person at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose are now able to receive a prescription for naloxone and administer it.
If statutory requirements are met, the law also provides Good Samaritan and other immunity protections from criminal prosecution for drug possession as well as from civil liability for those responding to and reporting an opioid overdose.
Naloxone, also known by the brand names “Narcan” or “Evzio,” is a life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose when administered either through injection or by nasal spray, health officials said.
“As Governor Corbett announced in May, heroin and prescription drug abuse usage in Pennsylvania has been increasing at alarming rates and it’s imperative that law enforcement, government officials and health care communities work hand-in-hand to reverse these trends,” Secretary of Health Michael Wolf said. “The expanded use of naloxone and increased access now available through Act 139 is giving hope to real progress in not only protecting the health and safety of Pennsylvanians, but in saving the lives of our family members and loved ones who battle these addictions.”
More than 1,000 first responders across the state have already completed the Department of Health approved training and are now ready to carry naloxone.
This law also allows for naloxone to be prescribed to a third party, such as a friend or family member.
Individuals can access training on how to properly administer naloxone online.
Opioid overdose deaths between 1990 and 2011 skyrocketed from 2.7 to 15.4 per thousand (of) Pennsylvania’s citizens according to the Department of Health, Bureau of Health Statistics and Research reports.
“Worried families with loved ones who struggle with opioid addiction can now have some comfort knowing they can carry a life-saving medicine to use in the event of an overdose,” DDAP Secretary Gary Tennis said. “And if we can get overdose survivors into the treatment they desperately need, we know they can go on to live long, productive lives.”
Individuals who experience an overdose and are revived through the use of naloxone still need immediate medical assistance and it is very important that the person who administers naloxone call 911, health officials said.
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