HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole Acting Chairman John R. Tuttle has announced staff from the Harrisburg District Office successfully administered the anti-overdose drug Naloxone to an offender earlier this week.
“Helping to change lives and when the opportunity presents itself to save them is what we do,” said Tuttle. “The man had a weak pulse, very slow, shallow breathing and was becoming unresponsive.
“Recognizing these possible overdose symptoms, our parole agents got the offender to admit he used heroin just before he passed out. The availability of this prescription drug equipped our agents with the ability to save this man’s life.”
At 2:45 pm Monday, a 38-year old white male offender was at the board’s Harrisburg District office on Herr Street. Naloxone was administered and the offender responded to the drug within 1-3 minutes. Local EMS responded to the scene and the offender was transported to the hospital.
In July 2015, the board announced that a Naloxone kit was available in each of its offices across the commonwealth. Agents who are part of the Board’s Fugitive Apprehension Search Team (FAST) and the Street Crimes Units are mandated to carry this life-saving drug.
Naloxone, also known by brand names “Narcan” or “Evzio” is a prescription medicine that rapidly reverses heroin and other opioid overdoses.
Heroin and opioid overdose are the leading cause of accidental death in Pennsylvania, killing more individuals than those involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents. In 2013, approximately 2,400 Pennsylvanians died from a drug overdose.
Earlier this year, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that the Pennsylvania State Police will carry naloxone, the important life-saving opioid overdose reversal antidote. Last week, Wolf joined Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera, Secretary of Health Dr. Karen Murphy and Secretary of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Gary Tennis to announce support for the use of the life-saving drug antidote naloxone at schools across the commonwealth.
For more information on state parole visit the Board’s Web site at www.pbpp.pa.gov.
