Ryan order widens availability of Narcan
The overdose antidote will be placed in ‘high-risk locations’ as well as dozens of government buildings.
Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has authorized the placement of the overdose antidote Narcan at “highrisk locations” around the county, as well as in dozens of county buildings.
Ryan signed an executive order establishing a countywide Narcan Kits Initiative, according to his office. (Narcan is a brand name for naloxone, a nasal spray that quickly can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.)
Ryan’s order calls for Ulster County to use overdose data to identify locations to place kits.
Ryan has made addressing the county’s opioid abuse problem one of the “Big Five” priorities of his administration. The announcement of the kits being placed around the counties comes at the end of a week in which Ulster County opioid matters have consistently made headlines.
On Monday, Ryan declared a public health emergency in the county due to the recent spikes in local deaths caused by fentanyl; on Tuesday, the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT) announced what it said was its largest-ever drug haul — the seizure of more than 10,000 bags of heroin and fentanyl in connection with the arrest of a Kingston man; on Wednesday, an alleged drug dealer from New Jersey was charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a town of Rochester man who overdosed on heroin laced with fentanyl; and on Thursday, Ryan said he will include more than $670,000 in his 2021 budget for the ongoing battle against opioid abuse in the county.
Of the Narcan Kits Initiative, Ryan said: “We still have a long road ahead of us, but increasing access to Narcan by placing these kits in high-risk locations and county buildings is a lifesaving and vital step forward in combating this crisis.”
In 60 county buildings, the kits will be placed near automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and employees in the buildings will receive training in how to administer the antidote, Ryan said.
He said the county will use ODMap, an overdose tracking database, to determine where 30 other kits will be placed.