City of Dixon issued the following announcement on Aug. 5.
The Dixon Fire Department is joining forces with the Safe Passage Initiative to combat drug overdose and opioid related deaths. Beginning Monday, August 12th, the department will start leaving behind Narcan on every opioid related drug overdose call where the victim refuses transport. In addition to Narcan, the department will leave behind information on the Safe Passage program along with additional substance use treatment information. Chief Ryan Buskohl states, ” Since its inception, the Safe Passage Initiative has been a valuable resource for individual’s suffering from substance abuse disorder. The Dixon Fire Department wants to help these individuals obtain the services available through Safe Passage. A critical component of that process is survival. The availability of this life saving medication and accompanying resource lists will no doubt make a difference in someone’s road to recovery.”
As part of the Safe Passage program, the Dixon Police Department is engaging in a Naloxone Plus program. Through this initiative, anyone who survives an opioid related drug overdose is contacted by the police department and offered services through Safe Passage. To date, more than 350 people have been placed directly to treatment through Safe Passage.
In 2017, more than 72,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdose. Of those, more than 49,000 were related to opioids. Preliminary numbers for 2018 show the first decrease in drug overdose deaths in nearly 20 years. These numbers show a 5% decrease in drug overdose deaths, most of which are directly related to opioids. These numbers are encouraging and show the impact of programs like Safe Passage when combined with the lifesaving drug Narcan. The total number of people who suffer from substance use disorder receiving medication assisted treatment (MAT) and Narcan is up and the number of opioid prescriptions being given nationwide is down.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Dixon
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