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Supervisors seek to stop overdoses

Alan Riquelmy
ariquelmy@theunion.com

Nevada County authorities will receive almost 300 doses of Naloxone — used to reverse opioid overdoses — after a Tuesday, Aug. 15, vote of the county’s board of supervisors.

The board at its regular meeting, held in Truckee, approved a $10,631.25, two-year grant from the state Department of Public Health for the Naloxone Distribution Project. The money will purchase 270 doses of nasal spray to be used for people overdosing, said Michael Heggarty, director of the county’s Health & Human Services Agency.

“This is such a dramatic way to reduce drug overdoses,” Heggarty added.



County officials will distribute the doses to agencies including Community Recovery Resources, the Nevada County Public Health Department, the Grass Valley Fire Department, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Heggarty said.

Opioid addiction has surged across the county in recent years. President Donald Trump this month called it an emergency.



Heggarty said Nevada County, when compared to other spots, doesn’t have a major opioid problem. However, he noted that 23 people died here from 2012 to 2015 because of overdoses. Those figures don’t include the number of people who were hospitalized or visited the emergency room due to opioid use.

“Some of those deaths could have been prevented,” Heggarty said.

To contact Staff Writer Alan Riquelmy, email ariquelmy@theunion.com or call 530-477-4239.


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