MetroWest Health Foundation to Fund Nasal Naloxone Programs

The MetroWest Health Foundation has awarded a grant to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to implement first responder nasal naloxone programs within police departments in MetroWest.

The grant will fund the purchase of Narcan doses for police vehicles, provide funding for training, and coordinate these activities with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The grant, which was initiated by Framingham Police Chief Kenneth Ferguson, includes the following Police Departments: Framingham, Sherborn, Natick, Sudbury, Marlborough, Hopkinton, Ashland and Holliston.
 
“I appreciate the actions of Chief Ferguson to bring this need to our attention, and the wonderful collaboration we have with area police chiefs and MAPC to quickly respond to what has become a public health emergency," said Martin Cohen, the president of the MetroWest Health Foundation. 

"The Metropolitan Area Planning Council is committed to facilitating regional collaboration that improves the public safety of Metro West cities and 
towns. We are eager to work with these communities to implement this critical program, which is likely to save lives in this opiate abuse crisis affecting people across the region," said Peter Dunn, municipal services specialist at the Council in a press release.

Opioid abuse is a growing epidemic, and has significantly increased in Massachusetts over the past 10 years. When a person overdoses on an opioid, like heroin, breathing can slow down or stop and it can be 
very hard to wake them from this state. Narcan (naloxone) is a prescription opiate antidote that blocks the effects of opioids and can reverse an overdose if caught in time. 

Earlier this week, Framingham Fire Chief Gary Daugherty said all
Framingham Fire apparatus would also be equipped with Narcan.