Jail is dispensing opioid-OD drug
Some inmates are leaving Bexar County Jail with a parting gift — the lifesaving medication Narcan.
A new program provides the nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses to released inmates for free. It was created because of the increased danger of overdoses among that population.
“Evidence shows (those) being released from incarceration are 40 times more likely to die from overdose in the first two weeks than members of the general public,” said Lisa Cleveland, an associate professor at the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing and a leader of the new program.
The goal is to reduce overdose deaths by providing Narcan, also known as naloxone, and instructions on how to use it to former inmates and their family members, she said. Any inmate can request Narcan when released.
This is the first such program in Texas, Cleveland said, and “is just one example of Bexar County’s willingness to be forward-thinking in addressing the current U.S. opioid crisis.”
In 2018, first responders in San Antonio administered 1,783 doses of Narcan to reverse opioid overdoses, the Fire Department reported.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar explained why inmates who use opioids — be it heroin or prescription painkillers — are particularly at risk of overdosing upon leaving jail.
During their time behind bars, without access
to drugs, their bodies’ level of tolerance to opioids lessens, making them susceptible to overdose at the amounts they used before they were jailed.
“We are doing this in hopes of saving lives, quite frankly,” he said. “This is one more way Bexar County is working to assure the safety of the community.”
Salazar said the the jail offers various programs to inmates to deal with their addictions while they are incarcerated.
“But we are realistic,” he said. “There will be people who are released and will fall in with the same crowd and begin using again.”
Cleveland said the new initiative could serve as a model for
other cities to follow.
Narcan is easy to use, and it won’t cause harm to someone who isn’t overdosing, she said.
At a news conference announcing the program, Salazar said addicts have an illness.
“Their brains are wired different,” making them predisposed to using opioids, he said.
“There may be a certain segment of the population that believes, ‘Well they did it. It’s their fault. They should die.’ We can’t do that. The right thing to do, in my estimation, is to save that person’s life.”
The money for the free Narcan comes from a $17.5 million grant through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA.
“Once I realized it wasn’t going to cost us any money, and it wasn’t going to cost the taxpayers any money, I was on board,” Salazar said. “I couldn’t sign up fast enough.”
Sheriff’s deputies have been carrying Narcan for the past several months, he said. San Antonio police officers also have been trained, Cleveland said.
Salazar said people shouldn’t be concerned about contacting authorities should a friend or family member overdose.
“That’s the least of your worries at that point, ending up in jail,” he said. “You should be worried about surviving, or about leaving your child without a mother or father.”
The School of Nursing also is working with a mobile health unit at the Fire Department, Cleveland said.
When the Fire Department responds to an overdose, the school will conduct follow-up visits, hoping to connect survivors to programs offered by the San Antonio Council on Drug and Alcohol Treatment, she said.