MEDIA RELEASE / COMMUNITY ALERT
For Immediate Release No. 20190708-040
Monday, July 8, 2019
SMPD Officers Save Life After Narcotics User Overdoses on Fentanyl
San Mateo Police saved the life of a drug abuser by using NARCAN after he was found unresponsive from a fentanyl overdose. Paramedics later arrived and rushed him to the hospital for treatment.
San Mateo, CA – On July 6, 2019 at 8:20 P.M., San Mateo Police Department officers responded to the downtown train station located at 2 North B Street on reports of a drug overdose. Officers quickly located an unresponsive male on the platform who was not breathing and lying in a pool of vomit. Acting on their training, officers recognized this to be a possible overdose and administered NARCAN, successfully reviving him before he was transported to a local hospital.
The San Mateo Police Department understands the dangers fentanyl poses to our community and first responders. This dangerous drug can be 80-100 times stronger than morphine. Narcotics dealers add fentanyl to heroin to increase its potency, resulting in potentially deadly overdoses. Our officers are trained to detect an opioid emergency and equipped with NARCAN, a nasal spray designed to counteract the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose. Police are often the first emergency responders to arrive on scene, and tools like NARCAN allow our officers to administer lifesaving efforts before trained medical personnel arrive.
The San Mateo Police Department knows that people experiencing drug addiction need resources and tools to pull them away from narcotics dependency. If you know someone suffering from substance abuse and need resources, our phenomenal partners at Star Vista San Mateo County are ready to talk 24/7 on their crisis hotline at 650-579-0350 or visit https://goo.gl/AtQVxG. For more than 50 years, Star Vista has helped people throughout San Mateo County navigate life’s challenges. Their counseling, crisis prevention, youth housing, parent support, and early childhood programs help tens of thousands of people in our community each year.
MEDIA INQUIRES
Michael Haobsh
Public Information Officer
Community & Media Relations
Desk: 650-522-7626
Email: [email protected]
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