Many in U.S. push to share heroin overdose antidote with civilians

June 17, 2014
by Scott Malone
Reuters

Police forces across the United States are following Quincy's lead. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo last week said he would provide naloxone to first responders statewide.

"It is certainly a model for other states and is being embraced across the country," said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, a nonpartisan research group.

Nationwide, more than 50,000 concerned citizens have been trained by 188 community groups, and have collectively reversed 10,000 overdoses, according to the trust.

The advantage to the program is a simple matter of speed, said Hilary Jacobs, director of substance abuse services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

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