Now that NARCAN is on the market and available to reverse the effects of heroin overdose, just what does happen to the person who has overdosed once they are revived?
Are they transported to the hospital?
Are they arrested and tried for heroin use?
What is the next step after revival?
The answers may be interesting, scary, or hopefully of use to people who would like to have a voice or speak to their Representatives, Senators or United States Legislators.
My first phone call was to Frisbie Hospital's EMS Director Gary Brock. Since it was after 5 pm on a Wednesday evening, he was not available, but I left my name and phone number on his voice mail and hopefully he will call me back and I can update the information.
I then called Southern Maine Medical Center in Sanford (the former Goodall Hospital). The emergency room staff said they could try and answer my question, but when I asked them just what happens to patients treated with NARCAN, they said they were getting busy and advised me to call Biddeford on Thursday and speak to hospital administration.
I then called York Hospital and posed the same question to Sean in Customer Relations. His answer? "We can not answer that question Ma'am, have a nice day. I suggest you call your local EMS Department." and he hung up the phone.
Now wait just a minute!!
I was not rude. I gave each of these people my name and told them why I was calling.
But okay.
I called Lebanon Fire and EMS Department Chief Daniel Meehan. According to Chief Meehan, he has attended one overdose and revived with NARCAN in Lebanon since his arrival as Chief at the beginning of the year. He had me on speaker phone and was sitting with two other responders, one of whom (and I won't use their name without permission) said that he had attended three in Lebanon so far this year.
I asked the Chief my question about what happens to the patient after they are revived, and I was a little surprised at the answer. According to the Chief, the NARCAN is administered, the person wakes up from their stupor after 20-40 minutes, and at that point, the EMS personnel on duty TRY to talk them into going to the hospital to be monitored.
When I say TRY, it's because there is no way to force anyone to take an ambulance ride to the hospital for a heroin overdose.
According to Meehan, State Police also respond to calls for heroin overdoses in Lebanon, and once the person is revived and stable, if they refuse to go to the hospital, they are asked to sign off, and EMS leaves them in the hands of Law Enforcement.
"NARCAN isn't a permanent thing," said Meehan, "It's a quick fix, and the person can relapse. But it's completely a law enforcement issue once they're conscious and alert."
The next step in my quest for answers seemed logical enough. Call the State Police and find out what THEY do with the heroin users once they have been brought back with NARCAN and have refused the ambulance ride to the hospital for treatment.
I called the Alfred State Police Barracks who would cover Lebanon for such a case and asked to speak with Sgt. Shapiro, who is the officer in charge of overseeing crime in Lebanon. It was 5:53 pm and the young man who answered told me that Sgt. Shapiro was unavailable at the time. Thinking he might help me, I told him who I was and why I would like to know the answers.
According to the man on the other end of the phone, Maine has no set policy on how to deal with a heroin overdosed patient who is refusing hospital treatment. "It depends on who the officer is that's handling the case and what the circumstances are," he said.
I asked if it were still against the law to use heroin and he asked again who I was and why I was asking. And I answered.
The young man stated that Maine State Law gives no set policy that tells what is supposed to happen, or any set procedure on what a Trooper is supposed to do once a patient is revived with a heroin overdose.
I thanked him for his time and asked him for his name, at which time he said, "Why do you want to know?"
I told him that I was giving this information out to people in the town of Lebanon, Maine and I wanted to be able to state who had given me the information.
He answered, "I don't need to give you my name, have a nice day," and for the second time in less than an hour, I was hung up on.
I did do a little bit of internet investigation, and I haven't found anything in Maine Law that speaks specifically to a heroin overdose. While it is a crime to possess the drug, it's questionable to the policy or procedure of what to do with a patient who has possessed the drug, but who no longer has the drug, after ingesting or taking it intravenously.
I did find a reporter with WLTW in Cincinatti, Ohio who was doing research on this very issue and after over 1,000 hours of investigation and research, was no closer to the answer that I am after a couple of hours.
Perhaps the laws defining the use of heroin or other substances needs to be a bit more clear.
Many of the people suffering from heroin overdoses do not have insurance, or adequate insurance to cover an ambulance ride to the local ER, or to pay for the ER visit at the local hospital. So who winds up paying the bill for the EMS crew, and the administration of NARCAN? I'm assuming it's us, the taxpayer. Although I can't seem to get a definitive answer on that yet.
Many of the people treated with NARCAN have overdosed several times and their addresses are known to EMS officials and law enforcement departments. However, there seems to be either a limit on what law enforcement can do, or the need for some type of new policy, procedure or law defining what happens to the overdose victim.
Please rest assured that I will continue my search for answers to this question on Thursday, hopefully following up with Mr. Brock at Frisbie Hospital EMS, and perhaps getting a telephone call back from Sgt. Shapiro with the Maine State Police.
Stay tuned!!!
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