Santa Barbara Police Department’s week-old public health program marks first life saved on Tuesday.
The departments say on at around 7:30 a.m. they received reports of a 911 call reporting a woman in medical distress on the 1000 block of Miramonte Drive.
Santa Barbara Police Officer Brittney Rohrs was the first to arrive on scene. According to a press release, she found a 28-year-old woman laying partially in the street near the curb line, unconscious with intermittent and labored breathing.
Officer Rohrs’ training and experience led her to believe that the woman was suffering from a drug overdose. Rohr’s radioed the information to inbound medics and retrieved one vial of NARCAN from her emergency bag, quickly administering the nasal spray to the victim.
Police say the woman awoke briefly, however loss consciousnesses again. Rohr’s administered a second vial right before medics arrived and continued life-saving techniques.
Medics were able to stabilize the woman and transport her to Cottage Hospital, where she is expected to survive. Medics say the early detection and immediate administration of NARCAN saved her life.
In August 2019, the Santa Barbara Police Department partnered with the Santa Barbara County Behavioral Wellness Department, Alcohol and Drug Program and Pacific Pride Foundation’s Health and Prevention Program to acquire enough life-saving naloxone to be deployed with all of the sworn police officers.
Naloxone, the active ingredient in a NARCAN vial, is a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose.
Last week, Officers completed state-mandated training to learn how to safely administer naloxone in the case of a suspected drug overdose. Each patrol officer is now carrying Narcan Nasal Spray
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