Crime & Safety

Overdose Intervention: New Program Coming to the Hudson Valley

A new state law may help first responders in the region slow down the region's rapidly increasing rate of deaths from overdosing on heroin or other opiods such as oxycodone.

“The epidemic of heroin addiction plaguing our communities must be confronted head on. It is sickening to read and hear of the countless deaths in our community. We must get to the kids before it’s too late, talk is cheap, and what is needed is funding and resources. As legislators, we must do everything in our power to protect our children from drug addiction,” said state Senator Greg Ball, one of the co-sponsors of the bill to allow a drug called nalaxone to be administered by police officers.

Naloxone, an intranasal prescription medication, has proven to be effective in reversing the effects of an opioid drug overdose. 

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Opioid drugs include, but are not limited to, heroin, morphine, oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone, and codeine. 

Intranasal naloxone is generally effective within five to ten minutes of administration. If an individual was suffering from an opioid drug overdose, intranasal naloxone will cause that person to regain consciousness and resume normal breathing.

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Ball said more lives could be saved if Naloxone was available to addicts, their families and other people likely to be in a position to assist a person at risk of an opioid-related overdose. 

The first police department to be trained to administer Naloxone is our region is in Rockland County. 

Clarkstown Police Department has entered into partnership with the Rockland Paramedic Services, Inc., a registered NYS Department of Health Opioid Overdose Prevention Program,  for the pilot program.


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