The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office announced its latest effort to protect residents as it becomes the first law enforcement agency in the United States to equip its deputies with the life-saving nasal spray OPVEE to treat overdoses of natural and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
The announcement occurred on Friday (Nov. 10) as Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the groundbreaking drug would give hope to what was often a hopeless situation for deputies and first responders.
“Advances such as this new medication allow us the opportunity to save more lives and give them a second chance,” said Bouchard. “When I first pushed to allow law enforcement to administer a drug to save lives, oddly, there was pushback. Now, everyone understands the scope of this national health emergency and how many lives are affected. We all must do everything in our power to help those struggling with substance abuse disorder.”
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Indivior, the Virginia-based manufacturer of OPVEE, as well as the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities and Oakland Community Health Network, which pays the initial $7,500 cost for 100 boxes of the groundbreaking drug.
“The availability of OPVEE in Oakland County, Michigan, represents a significant step in our efforts to address today’s era of opioid overdoses,” said Nina DeLorenzo, Indivior’s chief global impact officer. “OPVEE will now be carried by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, and the participation of law enforcement is critical in this fight as they are often the first people responding to overdoses in our communities.”
The opioid epidemic, including the drug fentanyl, has increased more than seven-fold between 2015 and 2021, according to the National Center on Health Statistics, which now accounts for two-thirds of all overdose deaths, which totaled nearly 107,000 in 2021.
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“The Alliance is proud to partner with Oakland Community Health Network, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, including its Crisis Response Unit, and Indivior in an innovative pilot initiative,” said Julie Brenner, president and CEO, Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities. “This collaboration aims to introduce a groundbreaking approach to opioid reversal and elevating harm reduction strategies. Our team diligently spearheaded the program training efforts, and we are confident in the preparedness of law enforcement officers for this significant and promising undertaking.”
OPVEE is deployed in a similar manner to naloxone, which is more commonly known as Narcan. Sheriff’s road patrol, corrections, and reserve deputies, totaling approximately 1,200, are all trained in using Narcan.
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“Oakland Community Health Network welcomes opportunities to join life-saving initiatives, such as piloting the use of OPVEE,” said Dana Lasenby, Oakland Community Health Network executive director and CEO. “The hope is for OPVEE to join Narcan as an additional tool to respond to people experiencing opioid overdoses, especially in situations involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl.”
The training for the use of OPVEE will take less than 30 minutes and is underway and should be completed agency-wide in about a month, officials say. Deputies in the Pontiac substation are the first to receive the training.