Arizona’s use of Naloxone has ‘significant impact’ in opioid fight

PHOENIX — Tony Morales, a detective with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, was near Douglas, Arizona, when he heard a call about a man who had overdosed on opioids last week.

Having been trained to use the opioid reversal drug Naloxone, he quickly jumped into action.

“When I got on scene, I didn’t think this subject was alive,” Morales said. “He was blue. He was purple. He was unresponsive to anything we were doing to him.”

He gave the man two doses of Naloxone, which was enough to get him breathing again.

Morales is one of 432 DPS troopers trained to recognize an opioid overdose and to use Naloxone. At a press conference Monday, Gov. Doug Ducey thanked Morales for his quick response.

“Detective, your quick and decisive action saved a life here in Arizona and for that our entire state is grateful,” Ducey said.

The governor also pointed to Morales as an example of how the use of Naloxone by law enforcement “is having a significant impact in the fight against opioid overdoses.”

Ducey declared a health emergency in June after data showed there was a growing number of opioid overdose deaths in the state.

The latest numbers from the Arizona Department of Health Services showed there were more than 1,600 suspected opioid deaths since June 2017.

Since Ducey declared the health emergency, there have been various efforts throughout the state to combat the opioid epidemic.

He said those efforts have led to the number of opioid prescriptions being filled in Arizona to decrease by 40 percent since last June. The number of opioid prescriptions dispensed also declined by 43 percent.

Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said one of those efforts includes training law enforcement officers to recognize an opioid overdose and to use Naloxone.

“Our law enforcement officers are often on the front lines protecting our communities every day and they are the first to arrive to a scene,” she said at the press conference Monday.

“That’s why it was critical to arm our first responders with the opioid overdose reversal drug Naloxone.”

Nearly 1,000 law enforcement officers have been trained to provide Naloxone.

They’ve administered the medication to 405 people since last June. In all but nine cases the individuals survived the overdose and were taken to the hospital for further care.

“That’s almost one life saved per day since our opioid emergency was declared,” Christ said.

She added Naloxone isn’t available only for law enforcement and first responders: It’s also available without a prescription to anyone in Arizona through pharmacies.

Over the past year, the number of Naloxone kits dispensed through pharmacies has tripled — to 24,000 statewide.

“Getting Naloxone into our communities is a critical tool for saving lives,” she said.

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