SHERIDAN, Ind. -- The Hamilton County Health Department is on a mission to get Narcan in the hands of citizens who want to fight back against the heroin epidemic in their county and show them how to use it.
More than 50 people packed into the town hall in Sheridan Tuesday night to learn how to save lives by using Narcan and get their own dose of it for free.
“We’re the healthiest county in Indiana,” said James Ginder with the Hamilton County Health Department. “But we’re not immune to the issues of heroin.”
Since the beginning of the year, 34 people in Hamilton County have died from drug overdoses.
“It’s an epidemic,” said Sheridan Police Chief Bob Shock. “I'd like to solve the epidemic if we could.”
But first responders know it’s not an issue they can solve alone, so they’re working with the health department to teach people about the signs of opiate abuse, how to get rid of old meds and how to talk to their family members about the issue.
They also handed out 30 doses of Naloxone to people who attended the town hall meeting and show them how to use it and what they should do if it doesn’t work.
“The prescription drugs they build a tolerance,” said Ginder. “Then they start using something else, like heroin.”
The Hamilton County Health Department only had 30 doses of Naloxone to give out at the meeting but the demand was much higher than they anticipated. They plan to hand out more next week for those who attended the meeting but did not receive a dose.
The Hamilton County Health Department will hold its sixth Narcan informational meeting in November in Fishers.
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