SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Georgetown Police Department is working with the community to help save more people who have suffered a drug overdose.
Georgetown Police have worked to get more drug users the help they need through treatment since the start of the Angel Program, in 2017. Users who are seeking help can turn in drugs and paraphernalia without charges.
Georgetown Police’s Recovery Coach and Prevention Specialist, Corey Councill, says, "We try to accentuate treatment instead of jail."
Research shows non-fatal overdoses have spiked in Georgetown since the start of the pandemic. More fentanyl is leaking into communities. There were 46 non-fatal overdoses in 2019 compared to 74 so far this year. Now, Georgetown Police are working with the health department to get more people 18 and older access to Narcan, the emergency treatment for an overdose. Two doses come per box.
Council explains, "It's just a nasal spray. So, you just have to kinda tilt their head back, make sure they have a good airway, and then you just insert it into one nostril, and you push the plunger one time."
In addition to working with community partners to distribute Narcan, GPD is working to distribute resources to those in need as well.
"We're just trying to do anything to keep them alive one more day and hopefully, you know, recovery will be in their future,” says Councill.
One health department leader, Rolgard Casimir, who is a Health Education Coordinator with the University of Kentucky’s KIRP program, splits his time between Scott and Woodford Counties. They give more Narcan to non-drug users looking to save someone around them. With the country's growing drug problem, he says Narcan is something everyone should consider having.
"You may be just driving down the road,... going for a walk or anything and then you may find somebody on the side of the street, and you may be able to save their lives like if you have the Narcan on you," says Casimir.
There's a question Councill says this department gets a lot, "'Why would we Narcan people, over and over?' And it's mainly to keep them alive and hope that they find long-term recovery."
Knowing more about Narcan and how it's given can help save a life. If you do come across someone who you think has had an overdose, officials say you should always call 911 first before giving Narcan.
