Delaware County District Attorney Provides Life-Saving Narcan Nasal Spray to College, in Case of Emergency
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA • March 25, 2019)—Delaware County Community College has become the first college in Delaware County that Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland, Heroin Task Force chair, has partnered with to provide Narcan nasal spray kits for the College’s emergency Automated External Defibrillator (AED) cabinets.
District Attorney Copeland and Chief Joseph A. Ryan of the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division, joined Delaware County Community College President Dr. L. Joy Gates Black at the College’s Marple Campus on March 22 to announce the partnership. District Attorney Copeland donated seven Narcan kits to the College, five of which will be placed in AED cabinets at the Marple Campus and one each at the College’s Southeast Center in Sharon Hill and Upper Darby Center. The College also has arranged to place Narcan kits at AED cabinets at its Downingtown, Exton Center and Pennocks Bridge locations in Chester County.
“We commend Delaware County Community College for partnering with our Heroin Task Force to be one of the first colleges in Delaware County to make this life-saving drug readily available in their AED cabinets,” said District Attorney Copeland, who along with Chief Ryan provided Narcan-use instruction to President Gates Black and members of the College’s Senior Leadership Team and Department of Safety and Security.
Dr. Gates Black thanked District Attorney Copeland, and said that the Narcan kits will enable the College to be ready in case there is ever a need to use the life-saving drug. “It is good to be prepared,” Dr. Gates Black said.
Also known as Naloxone, Narcan is an opioid antagonist that is easy to administer and quickly reverses the side effects of an opioid overdose with no side effects. The Narcan kit, manufactured by Adapt Pharmaceutical and provided through grant funding from the Heroin Task Force and the District Attorney’s Office, includes two 4-milligram doses, with step-by-step instructions to assist anyone administering the drug.
An AED is a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart. The shock can potentially stop an irregular heart beat and allow a normal rhythm to resume following a sudden cardiac arrest.
District Attorney Copeland is continuing to partner with communities countywide to provide free Narcan kits and overdose response training to individuals who work in recovery and to other community partners. To schedule a free Narcan training, call the District Attorney’s Office at 610-891-4168. To learn how to respond to an overdose emergency and receive online training, visit the District Attorney’s website: www.delcoDA.com.
Photo Caption: Chief Joseph A. Ryan, head of the Delaware County District Attorney Office’s Criminal Investigation Division, Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland and Delaware County Community College President Dr. L. Joy Gates Black announce a partnership to bring life-saving Narcan to the College’s Delaware County locations in case of emergency.
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