VAN BUREN, Ark. — This week, three officers in Van Buren were awarded the Naloxone Life Saving Award after they used naloxone or Narcan to save four lives.
According to a Facebook post from the Van Buren Police Department (VBPD), Detective Ardemagni, Detective Arredondo, and Corporal McIntosh received the award "after their quick thinking resulted in saving four lives. Their heroic efforts made a significant impact."
"It makes us incredibly proud to know that our officers have saved somebody's life," VBPD Chief Jonathan Wear said. "That's their goal, is to save lives. And so, to be honest with you, we don't even have to tell them that. That's what they go out and do every day."
Wear said all Van Buren officers as well as school resource officers for the Van Buren School District carry Narcan. Since they started carrying it around six years ago, they've saved 12 lives.
"We've had narcotic overdoses for as long as I can remember," Wear said. "Not only do you have the illicit drug use, but you also have people that maybe don't understand the medication that they're taking."
The department is able to buy Narcan through various programs.
"Over the years, there's become an increased amount of funding to provide Narcan for local police departments and sheriff's offices," Wear said. "We're lucky to have that."
Chris Jones, who's a certified peer recovery specialist in the state as well as the Street Outreach Coordinator for Northwest Arkansas Harm Reduction, encourages everyone to carry Narcan. The non-profit offers resources to help people stay safe as they struggle with opioid addiction, including giving out Narcan.
"I love seeing law enforcement and first responders with access, because a lot of these smaller departments don't have the funding to buy it, and so these grants really help out," Jones said. "I think the state is doing everything that they can to push Narcan as many ways as they can."
Jones said resources like AR Prevention, Revive AR, and an app called NARCANsas that can help get people connected to ways to find Narcan.
"I want everyone to carry if they're able to. I think that we've made some great strides in making it accessible," Jones said. "It's the best option for a really bad situation. I wish that we were never in this situation to where the entire state needed to carry Narcan."
Community Clinic is hosting a free Narcan distribution event on Aug. 31 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the St. Mary's Center for Nonprofits in Rogers.
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