Pubdate: Sat, 19 Apr 2014
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2014 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/topic/naloxone

THE 'QUINCY MODEL': SAVING THE LIVES OF ADDICTS

THE QUINCY police set an example for the nation when they began 
carrying an anti-overdose drug called naloxone in 2010. Deaths from 
heroin or prescription drug overdoses in the city plunged - and 
Washington noticed. An Obama administration official recently touted 
the "Quincy model," and attorney general Eric Holder urged first 
responders to carry the drug. Unfortunately, even as this 
tested-in-Massachusetts idea gains traction nationally, other cities 
in the Commonwealth have been too slow on the uptake.

Only about a half-dozen other police forces in the Commonwealth are 
believed to carry naloxone, also sometimes known as Narcan. The 
police department in Milford became the fifth earlier this year. But 
many others have dragged their feet.

In part, that's because the nasal spray form of naloxone used in 
Quincy and elsewhere isn't FDA-approved, which had some departments 
fearing legal liability if they used an unauthorized delivery device. 
But it also seems to come from generalized resistance to police 
taking on medical roles.

Yet police are sometimes the first to the scene of an overdose, and 
several recent developments should address their fears. A new state 
Good Samaritan law absolves from liability anyone who uses naloxone 
to treat an overdose. The FDA has also announced approval of a new 
delivery device on Thursday, which should calm worries about having 
officers use an unapproved method. And as part of an emergency order, 
Governor Patrick made naloxone available through standing-order 
prescriptions at pharmacies for law enforcement.

Massachusetts hasn't required first responders to carry naloxone. But 
the state is chipping away at the excuses not to. Heroin and 
prescription-drug abuse touches every community in Massachusetts, and 
local police departments should step up to their important role in 
battling this epidemic.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom