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Jail staff trained to use narcan to prevent opioid overdoses (2017)

Just before Northampton County Jail unveiled an anti-opioid antidote program this summer, staff at its work release facility in West Easton found an unresponsive inmate with blue-tinged skin.

The inmate, who had with a history of opiate use, was making gurgling sounds, breathing slowly and had pinpoint pupils - all signs of an opiate overdose, authorities say. Staff were able to quickly get the man to a hospital in time to reverse the overdose, but the incident highlighted the need for naloxone at the county’s jail and work release facilities, authorities say.