CINCINNATI -- Drug overdoses in Hamilton County have decreased since surging to 36 in 24 hours Saturday, but public health officials are still concerned with keeping first responders equipped with Narcan.
From Saturday, the number of overdoses have decreased from 36 to 22, according to Hamilton County Public Health spokesperson Mike Samet.
1st responders: protect yourselves. Users: don't use alone. All:carry naloxone https://t.co/4Z4PWmaZA2
— Mike Samet (@mike_samet) March 19, 2017
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"If we are in front of this as we have been, from a heroin coalition perspective, first responders know that they need to up their Narcan that they're carrying with them,” Samet said. “They need to be ultimately protected, and the more viral we can get this message out, hopefully right to the user level … we saw some elevation over the weekend it's started to come back down."
Samet also said users should not use any kind of drug alone.
A warning from Hamilton County Public Health says emergency personnel, hospitals and families of addicts should:
- use necessary personal protective equipment
- carry naloxone, known by brand name Narcan, and be prepared to use multiple doses when necessary
