DRUG MAY SAVE LIVES OF OVERDOSERS

Heroin overdose victims in Rio Arriba County often die at home before
medical help arrives, or they may be dumped outside the Espanola Hospital
emergency room by friends who fear arrest.

In hopes of preventing more overdose deaths, the state Health Department
delivered 100 syringes of naloxone Wednesday to doctors in the Espanola
Valley who will prescribe the potentially life-saving drug to addicts.

When injected, naloxone helps reverse the effects of an overdose of an
opiate -- such as heroin, morphine or methadone -- by binding tightly to
receptors in the body that normally attract opiates, said Dr. Steve
Jenison, physician administrator for the Infectious Diseases Bureau in the
state Public Health Division.

"In a matter of minutes, you can reverse the effects of the heroin,"
Jenison said. "Their normal urge to breathe should kick back in again."

Victims of heroin overdoses often die from respiratory depression, meaning
they stop breathing. Naloxone has been available before but the Health
Department decided to buy 100 syringes for $1.50 each and distribute them
free to local doctors who had expressed interest in the drug, Jenison said.
The Health Department will buy more naloxone if the program is successful.

The plan is to distribute two syringes of naloxone to an addict so the
addict will have the drug in case himself or a friend overdoses on heroin,
Jenison said. Naloxone is also known by the trade name Narcan.

Local doctors will decide whether to prescribe naloxone, which does not
produce a high or sense of euphoria, just to addicts or also to family
members worried about an addict at risk of an overdose, Jenison said.

With at least 16 drug-overdose deaths last year, Rio Arriba County has led
New Mexico in per capita drug-related fatalities while New Mexico has led
the nation. At least 11 people died of overdoses in Santa Fe County last
year, with four more deaths in San Miguel County, two in Los Alamos County
and one in Taos County, the state Office of the Medical Investigator reported.

Someone who finds an overdose victim should first call 911, then begin
rescue breathing and administer naloxone if it is available, Jenison said.
Naloxone works most quickly when injected into a vein but it also is
effective when injected into muscle or fat.

While naloxone can help save an addict's life, it is not meant to replace
professional medical help, so 911 should always be called for an overdose
victim, Jenison said.

Espanola Police Chief Wayne Salazar said he had spoken with Jenison and
Health Department Secretary Alex Valdez about training his officers in
administering naloxone. But Salazar said he first wants the Legislature to
pass a law protecting law-enforcement officers from lawsuits over use of
the drug.

Valdez couldn't be reached for comment on whether the Health Department
will seek such legislation this year.

Police officers typically arrive first at an overdose call in Espanola so
it would make sense for them to carry naloxone, Salazar said. Several
officers already have electronic defibrillator machines in their patrol
cars to help save heart-attack victims.

"One of the biggest fears that addicts have is fear of being arrested and
fear of being charged. That usually isn't the case (on an overdose call),"
Salazar said.

Officers typically don't file charges from an overdose call unless the
victim is a drug dealer, Salazar said.

State Police also are awaiting legislation on naloxone before considering
its use by officers, said Capt. Quintin McShan, head of the Espanola office.

"Our primary goal is the preservation of life. That's the number one job,"
McShan said. "(But) we will hold people accountable."

Simply having heroin in one's body will not result in charges being filed,
but officers could make an arrest if they find heroin or other drugs during
an overdose call, McShan said.

Jenison said the naloxone program may be expanded to Bernalillo County,
where at least 83 people died last year from drug overdoses, according to
state statistics.