State College police to begin carrying Narcan

Narcan is giving many opioid users a lifeline in a near-death moment.

The tiny plastic bottle, with a needle connected to a small plastic tube filled with medication, can mean the difference between life and death in two to six minutes.

In two weeks, Narcan will be stored in every State College police cruiser. This comes after members of the department completed the training Wednesday, giving officers the green light to administer the lifesaving drug that comes neatly packaged in a small, bright orange bag.

Two years ago, police had to deliver tragic news to a Boalsburg family — that their 21-year-old daughter was dead.

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Kline Smeltzer died from a combination of opioids, heroin and clonazepam.

“Lizzie made a bad choice, she used again. She fell asleep, and she died. No one knew she had an overdose,” said Bonnie Kline Smeltzer, Lizzie’s mom.

Lizzie had used opioids before. Her death on the morning of Jan. 25, 2014, hurt her family to the core, especially because she had been working on turning a new page in her life.

“She went through rehab and was doing well. She was trying to deal with her addiction,” Kline Smeltzer said Thursday.

That overdose wasn’t Lizzie’s first.

“Lizzie overdosed once before, and her life was saved by Narcan,” Kline Smeltzer said.

Narcan, also called naloxone, is the Food and Drug Administration’s first approved nasal spray medication. It was approved by the FDA in November.

It’s described by the FDA as a “lifesaving drug that can stop or reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.”

In August, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced 289 drug overdoses were reversed statewide since state police and local police departments started carrying Narcan.

“We are the first department in State College to get it,” said State College police Officer Adam Salyards.

But Salyard said, Narcan can only be administered and save lives with the public’s help.

“You can’t be afraid to call 911. You can’t afford to be afraid to ask for help. You can’t allow the fear that you’ll be charged with a crime prevent you from saving a life,” Salyards said.

“David’s Law provides some individuals who seek help when a companion overdoses with good Samaritan immunity from prosecution, as well as access to lifesaving Narcan to reverse the effects of opioids like heroin,” said former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett in a statement when he signed the legislation into effect in 2014.

“Narcan only works when the individual is still breathing. They still have to have a heartbeat. They have to have circulation to get the medication through their body. Slow, raspy breaths will allow the Narcan to work,” Salyards said to a group of State College police officers at the Centre LifeLink building during Narcan training.

“I think it’s a good idea for police to carry Narcan because they will save lives,” said Kline Smeltzer.

Police are working with emergency medical professionals, who already carry Narcan. It’s about time, essentially — trying to figure out ways to keep people alive when the 911 calls come in.

And they come in often.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid use is an “epidemic.” In 2014, the CDC attributed 28,647 deaths to opioid use.

Some critics of Narcan believe the drug enables opioid users.

Lizzie’s mom disagrees.

“I don’t think it will encourage drug use. Most opioid users are already in active addiction. They are going to use heroin or cocaine whether Narcan is available or not. They are dealing with addiction — it doesn’t matter to them,” Kline Smeltzer said.

Pennsylvania leads 14 states that have experienced a statistically significant increase in the rate of drug overdose-related deaths, according to the CDC.

“Narcan saved my daughter’s life once before. It allowed her to go to rehab and recognize that she had a problem with drugs and then she was able to live several years afterwards,” Kline Smeltzer said.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 8:20 PM with the headline "State College police to begin carrying Narcan."