Baltimore City Health Department Encourages Naloxone Training
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — David Sheppard saved a life. A man was close to death, and Sheppard was there.
Sheppard was trained in administering naloxone.
"And, it was a Godsend," Sheppard said.
The Baltimore City Health Department wants to enlist all residents, like Sheppard, in a life-saving effort to prevent opioid overdoses.
Friday, health commissioner Leana Wen demonstrated how to administer the overdose-canceling drug naloxone at a training session for Catholic Charities City Shelter staff and residents.
Baltimore has the highest death rate in the state for accidental overdoses. In 2017, 1,100 lives were saved by ordinary people using the naloxone. Narcan is a nasal spray that is also effective in countering overdoses.
"It doesn't matter if the person isn't breathing," Wen said. "Some people would say, 'Well, don't you have to inhale to get this in,' Actually this works on the mucus membranes,"
David Sheppard used both.
"The injection and the spray, this man was still dying so I continued CPR with the naloxone until the fire department arrived," Sheppard said."
The problem the city faces is that at $75 a kit, the Health Department is forced to ration naloxone. It is not available because it has been rationed, however, those looking can go to a pharmacy and purchase it with insurance. The Health Department has a standing order to fill that prescription.
Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook
