Coshocton County Project DAWN

Narcan (Naloxone) Kits Available to First Responders in Coshocton County:

October 2016 – The Coshocton County Health Department purchased Narcan kits and syringes through grant monies provided by Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS).  Narcan or Naloxone is a medication that blocks the effects of opiates, especially important in an overdose situation. In October 2016, Coshocton County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was provided twenty (20) Naloxone syringes through this grant.

Sheriff’s Office and West Lafayette Police Trained on How to Administer Narcan/Naloxone: November 2016 – This month the Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office and West Lafayette Police, first responders, were provided Project DAWN kits and training was administered by the Coshocton County Health Department, Coshocton City Health Department and Coshocton County EMS. The training takes less than an hour. The Project DAWN kits were purchased with funds allocated to the Coshocton County Health Department from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS).   Each kit contains two syringes, two nasal atomizers, two vials of Naloxone, or Narcan, which block the effects of opioids on the brain and two mouth shields. Along with rescue breathing, Naloxone can restore consciousness within 2-8 minutes.  There are NO needles in the kits. Naloxone does not reverse overdoses that are caused by non-opioid drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, Xanax, or alcohol.  If given to a person not experiencing an opioid overdose it is harmless.  These kits are not a cure but can help save a life and potentially put individuals on the path to recovery with the proper resources.  A person experiencing an overdose may exhibit the following symptoms: Breathing is slow (< 10 resp. per minute) or has stopped Skin is pale or clammy, grey or blueish, fingernails may also be blueish grey Slow or no pulse Choking or loud snoring noises In addition to learning how to administer the naloxone, officers were trained on the symptoms of an overdose, withdrawal symptoms, rescue breathing, risks to first responders, and local and state statistics for drug overdoses. 

Statistics   Unintentional drug overdose continues to be the leading cause of injury related death in Ohio.  Unintentional drug overdoses caused the deaths of 2,531 Ohio residents in 2014 and 3,050 in 2015. The numbers for 2016 will be even higher.