One of the first lives saved by Minnesota's new strategy for heroin overdoses came last November, when a 24-year-old resumed breathing after Coon Rapids firefighters gave him naloxone.
The second publicly reported case came Feb. 22, in Corcoran. An unresponsive woman later walked to an ambulance after a Hennepin County Sheriff's Deputy came to her aid. Again, the treatment was naloxone, a synthetic version of morphine that kick-starts the respiratory system.
Whether these are the only cases is unclear. Minnesota lawmakers expanded the list of emergency personnel who can administer naloxone to treat opioid overdoses, but didn't require tracking of the number who accepted this responsibility — much less used it. So progress since the 2014 law rests mostly with anecdotes.
Regardless, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Minnesota is ahead of the curve in combating opioid and heroin overdoses. It is one of only 12 states as of 2014 that expanded the administration of naloxone beyond doctors or paramedics — who might arrive at the scene of an overdose later than firefighters or police.
Minnesota's law gained more attention for granting amnesty to people at the scene of illegal drug abuse who call for help when someone suffers an overdose. But law-enforcement officials believed the expansion of naloxone providers would particularly help in rural areas, where doctors are sparse but heroin abuse is rising.
Fifty people died in Hennepin County alone from overdoses last year, as drug pushers flooded the state with pure, cheap heroin to hook people who had started abusing prescription medications.
Doctors typically inject naloxone, but first-responders can be trained to provide a nasal version, said Mark Faul, a CDC senior health scientist. "Expanding training on how to administer the drug can help basic emergency medical service staff reverse an opioid overdose and save more lives."
Obstacles remain. In an April 23 letter to federal authorities, state officials noted the price of naloxone is surging and some law-enforcement personnel are reluctant to carry it.
