Lynn among 23 communities to share $600G

The Mass. Department of Public Health has awarded grants to 23 communities to fund opioid overdose response training. The communities include Lynn, Saugus, Revere and Winthrop.Police and fire departments in communities with high incidences of fatal opioid overdoses will share $600,000 in funding under the pilot program, which was included in the state’s FY15 budget.”We have made strong progress addressing this epidemic in our communities by increasing access to treatment and life-saving naloxone,” said Gov. Deval Patrick. “By partnering with our first responders in cities and towns, we can keep this progress going for years to come.”The number of overdose reversals under the DPH Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution Program have increased dramatically since Patrick declared a public health emergency March 27.During the spring and summer of 2014, the average number of Massachusetts residents in opioid treatment programs increased by 1,000, showing that more people are getting the treatment they need.During the spring and summer of 2014, 700 opioid reversals were reported thanks to bystanders using nasal naloxone; double the number during the same period of the previous year.During a similar time period, nearly 7,000 new bystanders enrolled in the Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution program, an increase of nearly 30 percent.The DPH naloxone program began in 2007 allowing bystanders to receive information on overdose education and receive naloxone free of charge. Since 2007, the program has recorded nearly 3,800 reversals.”Many police and fire departments have already equipped their first responders with naloxone rescue kits, but the costs can be prohibitive,” said Public Health Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett. “This expansion will help 23 communities add or maintain these life-saving measures.”In addition to the naloxone grants from the state, kaléo, a Virginia-based pharmaceutical company, has offered 4,000 naloxone auto injectors at no cost to the Commonwealth to help supply first responders. Kaléo’s new auto injector, EVZIO, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April for use in opioid overdose reversals.