Hospitals to Resupply Narcan to Police Officers in Gloucester County

With the price of the heroin overdose antidote Narcan doubling, Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton announced a deal with Inspira Health Network in Woodbury and Kennedy Health in Washington Township to resupply police officers with the antidote on Monday.

The hospitals will resupply officers with Narcan kits on a quarterly basis.

Police officers throughout Gloucester County have used Narcan to save 41 lives since September, according to Dalton.

The statewide expansion of the program last year lead to increased demand for the nasal spray product and contributed to a doubling of its price, Dalton said. A two-dose package of Narcan now costs $100.

To deal with what he said had become a “significant budgetary issue,” Dalton contacted the chief executives at both hospitals.

“I can say without hesitation both readily agreed to participate in this pilot program in Gloucester County, “ Dalton said. “So those officers who are using this antidote to save lives will be able to go out there and continue the good work they’re doing in the county. I want to thank both hospitals as well as law enforcement officers in putting this program together.”

“This is a program that, as we see it, actually works,” Inspira CEO John DiAngelo said. “Dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues, as Inspira and Kennedy do, can be a frustrating area. You don’t always get good results. This program is something we see helps our community significantly. It was an honor for us to participate.”

Kennedy CEO Joseph W. Devine called the Narcan program “very special.”

“The fact that law enforcement can make an impact on resident in the community prior to their arrival at the hospital, which may be too late in this case, gives an opportunity for lives to be saved,” Devine said. “It’s hoped overdose survivors take the follow-up steps and improve their lives.”

Narcan doses have a one-year shelf life and must then be discarded if not used, Dalton said. As a result, funds seized and forfeited in narcotics prosecutions will be used to replace doses of the antidote that have passed their expiration date.