Howard County Sheriff Prepares Deputies For Overdose Situations

ELLICOTT CITY, MD - From the Howard County Sheriff's Office: The Howard County Sheriff’s Office has started to train its Deputies in the use of Naloxone (Narcan). In many cases Sheriff Deputies are the first responders on the scene of an overdose and every second counts with this type of emergency. Dr. Maura J. Rossman of the Howard County Health Department has funded the initial purchase of 20 kits and Chief John Butler of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services has volunteered to provide the training.

Sheriff McMahon has made this a priority for the Sheriff’s Office because of the increased incidents of opioid abuse in the community, as well as the accidental overdoses of first responders when exposed to certain opioids while serving the community. Deploying this potentially life-saving drug can immediately reverse the side effects of an opioid overdose. Several kits will be placed in fixed locations throughout the Court Houses. Other kits will be assigned to Deputies in the field.

"Narcan is an invaluable tool in the effort to save people from losing their battle with substance abuse. Putting this in the hands of our Deputies gives us the opportunity to have an immediate impact on someone overdosing on heroin.” Said Sheriff Bill McMahon.

“Tragically, we are all aware of the critical nature of the opioids crisis and its impact on families and communities across the nation. This epidemic impacts people from all walks of life, and the numbers keep climbing,” said County Executive Allan H. Kittleman. “We will continue to pursue new strategies to deal with the crisis, and training more people in the use of naloxone is an important step. I commend the Sheriff’s Department for training its deputies so they are prepared for this type of emergency.”

“We are pleased to be a part of bringing this important and life-saving program to the Howard County Sheriff’s Office. It will serve to reduce fatal overdose outcomes and benefit our community” Said Dr. Maura J. Rossman

The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank County Executive Allan H. Kittleman, Dr. Maura J. Rossman, Chief John Butler and Chief Gary Gardner for their support with making this program a success.

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