February 03, 2022
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Central Washington: Proposed bill helps rural law enforcement fight opioids - YakTriNews KAPP-KVEW

Central Washington
FILE - The overdose-reversal drug Narcan is displayed during training for employees of the Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), Dec. 4, 2018, in Philadelphia. The death of a Connecticut seventh grader from an apparent fentanyl overdose has renewed calls for schools to carry the opioid antidote naloxone. The 13-year-old student in Hartford died Saturday after falling ill in school two days earlier. The school did not have naloxone, which is known by the brand name Narcan. But now city officials are vowing to put it in all schools. Fatal overdoses among young people in the U.S. have been increasing amid the opioid epidemic but remain relatively uncommon.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Legislation introdued by a Central Washington congressman aims to provide police officers in rural communities with the resources they need to combat the rampant opioid epidemic.

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the Law Enforcement Officers Preventing (Drug) Abuse Related Deaths (LEOPARD) Act on Thursday.

This would give state and local law enforcement agencies the ability to purchase naloxone—otherwise known as narcan— which is a nasal spray used to treat the effects of narcotics overdoses.

RELATED: Local law enforcement speaks with Newhouse about Narcan funding

In many instances, law enforcement officers are the first people to respond to drug overdose calls. By equipping the authorities with this useful tool, lives can be saved across the state.

Under Newhouse’s proposal, the act would direct at least 50 percent of grant funding toward rural communities like those impacted in Central Washington. It would also help train law enforcement agents to properly administer naloxone during emergency situations.

“As the opioid crisis rages on across the country, and fentanyl floods across our borders, law enforcement officers are increasingly called upon to respond to drug overdose scenes,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Just last week, I met with several local law enforcement leaders, and a top issue plaguing their departments is the uptick in overdoses. There have even been instances right here in Central Washington in which law enforcement officers have come into contact with these substances and used naloxone to save their lives, or the lives of their fellow officers. Equipping our law enforcement officers with the tools they need to reduce overdose related deaths is a major component in combatting the opioid epidemic and reducing tragic and preventable deaths.”

City and county law enforcement agencies have limited budgets as it is, so this bill would make sure they have access to resources that fight the opioid epidemic without extending into their limited funding.

This would be particularly impactful for cities like Ellensburg, where mental health calls have risen by 230% since 2013. This is largely attributed to a rise in prominence for opioid addiction and distribution in their community.

Also backing this proposed bill is Kevin Fuhr, Police Chief for the City of Moses Lake.

READ: Kittitas County Jail expands mental health services to inmates with the help of a local provider

“The health and safety of our citizens is paramount to our success,” Chief Fuhr said. “Members of the law enforcement profession are well trained and prepared to help those in need, and having the ability to deploy naloxone during critical incidents has and will continue to save lives of citizens across this country.”

To read the bill in its entirety, click here.

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