By Emily Foster
Editor Talking Raven
The officers of the La Push Police Department and the Chief of Quileute Fish and Wildlife Enforcement are now trained and carrying Narcan (naloxone), a prescription medicine that blocks the effects of opioids and can reverse an overdose.
Opioids include heroin and prescription pain pills like morphine, codeine, oxycodone, methadone and Vicodin. When someone is overdosing on an opioid, their breathing slows down or stops completely. Local law enforcement officers may now administer a nasal spray for those experiencing an overdose on opioids.
La Push Police Chief Bill Lyon said, “Seventy-eight Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. Without the availability of naloxone, the chance of death is high. With naloxone, they may live another day to hopefully get to the point where they decide to stop using substances. I figure if the La Push police officers save just one life by carrying Narcan and that one life chooses to stop using, it is worth it.”
The Forks Ambulance crew made it possible for Quileute law enforcement to carry Narcan; they provided the training as well as the naloxone at no cost to the tribe.
Tim Wade, an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with the Forks Ambulance, stated, “The officers are provided with a single dose of Narcan. Should they use it on a patient who has overdosed on an opioid, [the patient] would then be transported to the hospital by us and [the cost of Narcan] is billed to the patient. There really is no cost to the police department or the tribe because we would be giving the patient Narcan anyway.”
“Laura Kripinski really took the lead on this whole thing,” Wade added. “She’s the Chief Nursing Officer of the Forks Hospital and a paramedic with the Forks Ambulance, and she’s very passionate about the Narcan program. It saves lives.”
Wade said he can think of three instances in the Forks and La Push areas where police have used Narcan to save someone who was overdosing. He added that it is especially beneficial for tribal law enforcement officers to have Narcan in their possession since the Forks Ambulance has a minimum 20-minute response time to the Quileute reservation. Immediate medical attention from
Wade described the feedback he has received from officers that are trained to carry Narcan and others who are interested in the training. “The officers are very enthusiastic and behind the program. They’ve come up to me asking about this training because they’re concerned with the opioid epidemic that we’ve seen and been experiencing in this country. It seems to be increasing in frequency. The stuff out there now is so much more powerful than what it used to be. It’s scary.”
Chief Lyon expressed, “I would personally like to thank the Forks Ambulance, Laura Kripinski, CNO, and Tim Wade, EMT, for their support and willingness to help get the La Push police officers trained and carrying Narcan. The cooperation of Forks and the Quileute Tribe is what it will take to continue our focus and goal on making our communities drug-free.”
