HUDSON COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE ACQUIRES NARCAN KITS FOR ALL HCPO DETECTIVES

HUDSON COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE ACQUIRES NARCAN KITS FOR ALL HCPO DETECTIVES

Kits Were Provided At No Cost by the New Jersey Department of Human Services

JERSEY CITY — Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced today as part of the continued approach to fighting the opioid epidemic that all detectives in the Prosecutor‟s Office will now be provided with Narcan (naloxone) kits, which help individuals suffering from an opioid overdose by reversing the effects.

Approximately 100 Narcan nasal kits were provided at no cost to the Prosecutor‟s Office through a state program spearheaded by the New Jersey Department of Human Services as a way to expand access to naloxone for law enforcement. Earlier this year, the Attorney General‟s office contacted police departments throughout the state advising them of the initiative and asking departments to participate in this program to receive the free Narcan kits.

“We are thankful to the Department of Human Services for their leadership in this initiative to help provide our officers with the tools needed to combat opioid addiction in our communities,”

said Prosecutor Suarez. “We know these kits will save lives as law enforcement officers are often the first people on the scene of an overdose. By working together with our health and human services partners we can help find solutions to reduce the impacts of this deadly epidemic.”

Narcan is a prescription medication – naloxone – that can be administered to reverse an opioid overdose. It is effective for both street drugs like heroin, or prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin, and Percocet.

In January, Prosecutor Suarez announced the launch in Hudson County of „Operation Helping Hand‟ – another initiative that aims to be part of the statewide solution to the opioid epidemic by linking narcotics users with recovery services at the time of arrest.