ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) - First responders say a record number of heroin overdoses in a North Carolina city is depleting the supply of a drug used to revive patients.
The Virginian-Pilot reports that as of Monday, 12 people had overdosed in a week in the Elizabeth City area, including two people who died. Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Medical Services Chief Jerry Newell says crews delivered doses of naloxone in each case. Naloxone is a drug that reverses the effects of an overdose.
Elizabeth City Criminal Intelligence Agent Lamont Butts says the city’s naloxone supply is drastically reduced. Newell says there are 30 doses in ambulances, and cases typically require three or four doses to save someone’s life.
It costs emergency agencies about $60 to buy one dose of naloxone.
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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com
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