State Attorney General
Eric Schneiderman declared that his office would provide the funding of
more than $1.1 million to equip and train the NYPD officers as part of
the Community Overdose Prevention Program.
"By providing NYPD police
officers with naloxone, we are making this stunningly effective
overdose antidote available in every corner of the five boroughs. This
program will literally save lives," Schneiderman said at a press
conference.
Each naloxone kit
consists of a zip bag or pouch containing two pre-filled syringes of
naloxone, two atomizers for nasal administration, sterile gloves and a
booklet on the use of the drug, according to a statement from
Schneiderman's office.
The emergency treatment
works like the well-known EpiPen -- an epinephrine auto-injector for
serious allergic reactions -- as it is injected into the muscle and does
not require training, making it more user-friendly. Once injected, the
naloxone stops heroin and other opioids from slowing a person's
breathing down to the point that it stops.
The FDA approved the prescription treatment after just 15 weeks under priority status.
Currently, most law
enforcement agencies are using the nasal spray version of the antidote,
which is slightly different than the auto-injector.
"A recent pilot project
in Staten Island has already proven effective with several overdose
victims," said NYPD Commissioner William Bratton, who did not have an
exact time frame of when the officers would officially be equipped.
The training for each officer takes roughly 45 minutes, Bratton said.
Joining Schneiderman and Bratton at the announcement was Carol Christiansen, co-founder of Drug Crisis in Our Backyard.
Christiansen's son, a
former NYPD detective, died of a heroin overdose in 2012. Erik, 28,
injured his back at the gym and became addicted to oxycodone for the
pain, which led to an eventual addiction to heroin.
"It's an epidemic I
think everybody should be aware of," Christiansen said, who believes the
real problem is the poor monitoring of prescription medication.
"A recent pilot project
in Staten Island has already proven effective with several overdose
victims," said NYPD Commissioner William Bratton, who did not have an
exact time frame of when the officers would officially be equipped.
The training for each officer takes roughly 45 minutes, Bratton said.
Joining Schneiderman and Bratton at the announcement was Carol Christiansen, co-founder of Drug Crisis in Our Backyard.
Christiansen's son, a
former NYPD detective, died of a heroin overdose in 2012. Erik, 28,
injured his back at the gym and became addicted to oxycodone for the
pain, which led to an eventual addiction to heroin.
"It's an epidemic I
think everybody should be aware of," Christiansen said, who believes the
real problem is the poor monitoring of prescription medication.
Schneiderman also led
the effort to pass legislation to create I-STOP, a monitoring program
that prevents individuals from going from doctor to doctor to accumulate
multiple prescriptions.
"If the I-STOP law was in effect over two years ago possibly my son, Erik, would be alive today," Christiansen said.
The police department of
Quincy, Massachusetts, was the first in the nation to require its
officers to carry naloxone and has successfully reversed 211 overdoses
with a success rate of over 95%. In New York's Suffolk County, 563 lives
were saved last year alone, the statement said.
"Equipping the NYPD with
naloxone is a tremendously important step in the fight against New
York's growing opioid addiction epidemic," said Dr. Andrew Kolodny,
chief medical officer of Phoenix House in Manhattan.
