Police in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania released a video of a man who overdosed on a SEPTA bus on a Thursday afternoon with 30 other people on the bus with him. The police put this video on their Facebook page to continue to make people aware of the explosion of heroin overdoses in the greater Philadelphia area. Thankfully authorities got to this man in time and gave him a dose of the lifesaving drug Narcan. They used the Narcan nasal spray that we previously wrote about a few weeks ago. The man was then taken to the hospital, treated, and arrested for possession of heroin. The police said that they hope the man gets into some kind of drug treatment program to get the help he needs.
Last week President Obama said that he is looking to get approval for $1.1 billion to help battle the heroin epidemic. That money will be designated for use by the states to help combat this problem. This drug Narcan has saved many lives since it has been used by law enforcement and first responders. Although it saves lives, it is not a form of heroin addiction treatment. We only hope and pray that when someone’s life gets saved from this drug that they will have hit bottom and decide they need real help.
At Clearbrook, we are relieved and support the federal government all the way down to local authorities for using this drug to save lives. After that happens though, the suffering person should be directed, if not court ordered, to professionals in the drug and alcohol treatment industry. Narcan can stop death from an overdose, but it takes real treatment to save a life.
