Sheriff's Office Receives Life-Saving Opioid Antidote...

01/02/2018

According to Sheriff Jeff Shaver, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office now has access to a lifesaving opioid antidote.  The Sheriff’s Office has received four Naloxone kits from District Attorney Mike O’Dell.  The easy-to-use antidote, naloxone, is being issued through a collaborative effort between Sheriffs, District Attorneys, and the Alabama Department of Public Health.  The antidote kits cost about $4,000 each and are being provided by a pharmaceutical company,  Kaleo Pharma,  to address the opioid epidemic in Alabama. 

These kits are intended to protect first responders who may accidentally come into contact with a dangerous drug substance and could save the life of someone who has overdosed.  The antidote is given an an injection, much like an epi-pen.

“It allows us to have peace of mind in case of accidental exposure to a toxic opioid and be ahead of the curve in regards to this epidemic creeping across our country", said Sheriff Shaver.

According to Shaver, the Sheriff’s Office expects to receive 20 more doses, through an agreement with the Sheriff’s Office and the National Sheriffs’ Association in early 2018, which will be enough to equip every deputy.

Sheriff Shaver stated, “We are glad to be equipping our deputies with these kits, and we are fortunate to have not seen the results of the national opioid epidemic here yet, like many more urban areas.”

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