Wharton police use Narcan to save 2 lives

WHARTON – Two borough residents were revived with Narcan after overdosing during the month of February, police said.

The first call was on Feb, 2, when officers responded to a medical call and found an unresponsive 25-year- old male in his residence.

Sgt. Charles Kranz and Officer Fotios Katsigiannis determined that the male had overdosed on heroin so Narcan was administered and the male soon became responsive, police said.

No charges were filed due to the caller meeting the criteria under the “Good Samaritan Emergency Response Act” which eliminates criminal liability for persons who seek medical assistance in response to drug overdoses, police said.

The second call came in on Saturday for an unresponsive 51-year-old male in a motor vehicle.

The same officers responded and again determined that the male had overdosed. They administered Narcan but there was no initial reaction so St. Clares medical personnel, who had also responded, administered a second dose and the patient became responsive.

Both males were transported to a nearby medical facility for evaluation and treatment. The second incident is still under investigation.

A nasal-administered form of the Narcan designed to combat overdoses became available to members of law enforcement last year and Wharton Police Lt. David S. Young said his entire department has been trained in how to use it. Officers look for specific tell tale signs indicating a person has overdosed.

“The breathing is very shallow. They are in respiratory distress and have pinpoint pupils,” Young said. “Sometimes there are physical marks of injection points or sometimes there is a history.”