Hospitals to Resupply Narcan to Police Officers in Burlington County

Burlington County’s three major hospitals have agreed to provide law enforcement agencies in Burlington County with the opiate overdose antidote known as Narcan free of charge, – Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Palmyra Police Chief Scott Pearlman announced on Thursday.

The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office has entered into formal agreements with Deborah Heart and Lung Center, Lourdes Health System and Virtua to establish the Burlington County Narcan Assistance Program.

“I thank these institutions for their willingness to create a partnership to help us deal with this extremely deadly, prolific problem,” Bernardi said. “The generosity of the hospitals will save lives.”

Narcan, which is the trademarked name for the drug naloxone, blocks the effects of opioids and reverses an overdose. Law enforcement agencies in Burlington County have deployed Narcan 94 times since July 2014. It has been deployed 64 times during 2015.

The results have been favorable, but they’re coming at a cost.

Initially, counties purchased the antidote through their police chiefs associations, with the departments handling the resupply through either forfeiture funds or their individual operating budgets. Increasing costs are beginning to present a problem statewide.

The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office purchased 209 doses that were distributed to municipal police departments and the Sheriff’s Department at a cost of $6,554.24. It also funded training at a cost of $750.

The initial cost was $17.99 a unit, and it is now $34.90 per unit, Pearlman, the current head of the Burlington County Chiefs of Police Association, previously told Patch.

The announcement came about three months after Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton announced a deal in which Inspira Health Network in Woodbury and Kennedy Health in Washington Township will resupply police departments with Narcan on a quarterly basis.

The agreements announced on Thursday are the same, calling for the hospitals to resupply the Narcan antidote to county law enforcement agencies on a quarterly basis as needed.

“This program will enable the antidote to be readily available to law enforcement officers trained in the use of Narcan,” Pearlman said. “That is a crucial component to insuring that our first responders are effectively prepared to combat opiate overdoses.”

All three hospitals expressed a strong willingness to participate in the program.

“For nearly 40 years Virtua’s paramedics have worked hand-in-hand with the law enforcement officers in each of the two counties that we serve,” said Richard P. Miller, Virtua President and CEO. “We view this program as a way to further strengthen that relationship in a way that truly benefits our partners in emergency response as well as the people in our communities.”

“As with all matters of public health, Deborah Heart and Lung Center is ready and willing to assist whenever possible,” said Joseph R. Manni, Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer of Deborah. “Anytime we can help save lives, we will gladly partner with other agencies.”

“Lourdes is proud to participate in what is truly a community benefit program,” said Mark Nessel, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Lourdes Health System. “By providing Narcan to our law enforcement partners, we are saving lives out in the field and offering a second chance for overdose victims to acknowledge their addiction before it is too late.”