Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputy Aid’s Man Overdosing

Press release from Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office:

Narcan Kits 

On 05-23-2023 at approximately 9:13 P.M., a Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputy was on-duty and traveling in the 200 block of North Orchard Avenue in the City of Ukiah (California).

During this time the Deputy was flagged down by a bystander who witnessed a 34-year-old adult male fall to the ground shortly before.

The Deputy approached the adult male who was lying on the ground near a business.  The Deputy discovered the adult male was unresponsive and confirmed the existence of a pulse.  Fearing the adult male was suffering the beginning stages of a potential lethal drug overdose, the Deputy administered a 4MG dosage of Narcan to the adult male.

The adult male immediately showed a physical improvement but still displayed an altered level of consciousness.  During this time a small plastic baggie of suspected Fentanyl was found on the ground near the adult male’s body.

Shortly thereafter, medical personnel arrived and began providing additional medical treatment.  The adult male was subsequently transported to the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley hospital for further medical treatment.

In April 2019 the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) began to issue NARCAN® (Naloxone HCI) nasal spray dosage units to its employees as part of their assigned personal protective equipment.  MCSO’s goal is in protecting the public and officers from opioid overdoses. Access to naloxone is now considered vital in the U.S. The Center for Disease Control.  At that time, the California Opioid Overdose Surveillance Dashboard reported Mendocino County ranking, per capita, 3rd in all opioid overdose deaths. (https://discovery.cdph.ca.gov/CDIC/ODdash/).  Refer to dashboard for current updated ranking information.  Narcan nasal spray units are widely known to reverse opioid overdose situations in adults and children. Each nasal spray device contains a four milligram dose, according to the manufacturer.  Naloxone Hydrochloride, more commonly known by the brand name NARCAN®, blocks the life-threatening effects of opioid overdose (both medications and narcotics) including extreme drowsiness, slowed breathing, or loss of consciousness.

The antidote can reverse the effects of an overdose for up to an hour, but anyone who administers the overdose reversal medication in a non-medical setting is advised to seek emergency medical help right away. The spray units can also be used by Public Safety Professionals who are unknowingly or accidentally exposed to potentially fatal amounts of fentanyl from skin absorption or inhalation.

The issuance of the Narcan nasal units, thus far, have been to employees assigned to the Field Services Division, Corrections Division and the Mendocino County Jail medical staff.  Employees are required to attend user training prior to being issued the medication.

Sheriff Matthew C. Kendall would like to thank Mendocino County Public Health for providing the Narcan nasal units to the Sheriff’s Office free of charge as part of the Free Narcan Grant from the California Department of Public Health.

Since the April 2019 issuance, there have now been (16) sixteen separate situations wherein Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Staff have administered NARCAN and saved the lives of (16) sixteen overdosing individuals in need of the lifesaving antidote medication.

In October 2021 the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office received a grant from the California Naloxone Distribution Project through the Department of Health Care Services to help maintain an inventory of the live saving antidote.

The 192 dosage units have been distributed to the Field Services Division and Corrections Division as previous inventories from Mendocino County Public Health have been exhausted.

Sheriff Matthew C. Kendall would like to thank the California Naloxone Distribution Project through the Department of Health Care Services for awarding the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office with the Naloxone grant to better help protect his employees and the public.