WAILUKU, Hawaii — Maui police have become the first officers in Hawaii to be equipped and trained to use a nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
The U.S. surgeon general said the spray form of naloxone temporarily counteracts the effects of an overdose, namely slowed or stopped breathing, The Maui News reported Wednesday.
The surgeon general said the medication is a “safe antidote to a suspected overdose, and, when given in time, can save a life.”
The department was given 200 kits of the spray, worth $14,000, through a grant from the state Department of Health.
Officers received training early this month from Heather Lusk, executive director of the Community Health Outreach Work Project.
Opioids include pain relievers legally obtained by prescription, along with fentanyl, which is described as being 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, along with heroin and others.
Maui Police Assistant Chief John Jakubczak said that officers do not see many opioid overdoses, but it’s good to have the extra tool available.
“What’s good about it, it’s there in case we need it. You never want to need something after you need it,” he said.
Lusk said the spray is as easy to use as Flonase, an allergy nasal spray. With just one spray in a nostril, a person usually responds from the naloxone in around 30 seconds, she said. But, within two minutes if there is no response, another spray can be given in the other nostril, she added. The kits are for one-time use.
No one can get high from the spray, she said.
Jakubczak and Lusk credited Molokai patrol officer Daniel Imakyure for pushing to make the spray available to the department.
Imakyure attended one of her training sessions on Oahu and wanted his department outfitted with the spray, Lusk said.
Kauai has received training for the naloxone spray, although does not yet have its officers supplied with it, Lusk said.
She was unsure of the status of other departments in the state.
The number of U.S. overdose deaths from prescription and illicit opioids doubled from 21,089 in 2010 to 42,249 in 2016, according to the surgeon general’s website.
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Information from: The Maui News, http://www.mauinews.com
