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Berkeley County Narcan use on course to double

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Local officials suspect the number of Narcan doses administered in 2016 will nearly double the last year’s total.

Kevin Knowles, Berkeley County recovery services coordinator, presented new statistics Thursday to the Berkeley County Council regarding the heroin epidemic happening in the county.

According to Knowles, 283 doses of Narcan – the overdose-reversing medication – have been given out since the beginning of the year, compared to 263 doses given during the entire year in 2015. In 2013, the county administered 211 doses and in 2014, the county administered 223 doses. Knowles said these statistics include numbers from the county as well as the city of Martinsburg. He does not have statistics from the Berkeley Medical Center.

One hundred forty-four of those 283 doses of Narcan have been in response to overdoses the city, whereas 139 doses have been administered in the county. Narcan is being given about 1.3 times per day, Knowles said.

“According to the numbers, there will be about 485 to 500 doses of Narcan by the end of the year,” said Dan Duylea, Berkeley County Council member.

“The county has approximately seven times more of the population than the city, yet the city is administering more,” added Doug Copenhaver, Berkeley County Council president.

Knowles said it is apparent the need for Narcan is growing, but local emergency medical services are saving a lot of lives.

From January to July, there have been 345 actual overdoses in the county and city combined, but the lives of 296 of those people have been saved, according to Knowles.

In total, there have been a total of 45 opiate-related deaths so far this year-including the city and county-which Knowles said is approximately 1 per week.

Knowles also clarified the difference between the numbers of overdose calls compared to the number of actual overdoses.

“When a person calls in they are going to tell you anything and everything to get you out there because they are in a panic and that is marked as an OD call. But when you get out there and the results may not be OD, it may be something else. So those are the differences in how to identify the two overdose numbers in our area,” Knowles said.

In closing, Knowles spoke about the 24/7 helpline, 1-844-HELP4WV, and how in total it has help place 105 Berkeley County residents in either detox, housing and/or treatment facilities to date.

Staff writer Katiann Marshall can be reached at 304-263-8931 ext. 182 or at www.twitter.com/kmarshallJN.

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