ORDER-2016-63 : Acceptance of a Donation in the amount of $l,786.00 To: Fund #2884, Police (Narcan) - From: Lahey Health Shared services for the purchase of Narcan to be used when needed.

Transcript (~12 min @ 21:40)

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▶ 21:20 Scott M. Forbes: to close i have a motion to close public participation made by alderman mortimer second by President Kahn. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? We have one of public participation is now concluded for the evening. We do have one order before us here tonight. It is order number two zero one six dash six three, an acceptance of a donation in the amount of one thousand seven hundred and eighty six dollars to fund number 2884 police Narcan from Lahey Health Shared Services for the purchase of Narcan to be used when needed. I believe we are still under the suspension of the rules all right do I have a motion motion to suspend the rules my motion is suspend by Alderman Mortimer seconded second by Alderman Zwirko all those in favor any opposed the rules are suspended chief welcome I

▶ 22:09 Scott M. Forbes: know the order is pretty self-explanatory but if you could in your own words maybe give us a couple of sentences describing what we have before

▶ 22:17 Speaker 9: us tonight sure thank you first I'd like to thank two departments for assisting the police department with this program one was the Middlesex District attorney's office under mary and ryan they they supplied the police department with our naxalone or narcan for the last 12 months this year we're very fortunate that ruth clay as she has left unfortunately and her staff particularly jen kelly were able to reach out to lahey clinic to supply us and donate the naxalone narcan for this coming year this will give us the opportunity need to purchase 60 doses we'll spread it out approximately one year shelf life per dose so we'll spread it out so we should be able to get by for about 18

▶ 23:03 Speaker 10: months with it do we have any questions from the committee I'll set a recommend

▶ 23:08 Scott M. Forbes: for passage we got a motion to recommend second seconded by alderman Khan on

▶ 23:17 Robert A. Boisselle: discussion Alderman Boisselle chief that the Narcon is it in the cruisers or does the emergency group emergency fire department had actually administered the

▶ 23:27 Speaker 9: drug the police department has its own supply the fire department has their own supply this is carried in the police vehicles for our officers there's a few doses in each vehicle and when they utilize it they replenish it through the

▶ 23:39 Robert A. Boisselle: department so the police officers have been trained and administering this type

▶ 23:44 Speaker 9: of material Narcon yes about 15 months ago they were all trained the entire

▶ 23:48 Robert A. Boisselle: police department very good and has it been used it has it has been used

▶ 23:51 Speaker 9: there's been approximately eight deployments successful deployments making a making a difference in a life of somebody that's addicted to opioids officers responded last week they had an individual that was heavily in the

▶ 24:11 Robert A. Boisselle: stages of an overdose and they reversed it very good Thank You chief Thank You

▶ 24:14 Scott M. Forbes: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Alderman Poizel. Next, we have Alderman Zwirko, followed by President Kahn.

▶ 24:19 Michael P. Zwirko: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chief, thank you, too, for being here this evening. My understanding is that the Narcan drug itself is actually very susceptible to temperature

▶ 24:28 Speaker 9: changes? If there is a temperature swing on it, yes, there is. There's ranges from heat and extreme cold.

▶ 24:34 Michael P. Zwirko: And will that temperature change if it's in extreme heat or cold, will that affect its

▶ 24:40 Speaker 9: shelf life? It will degrade it.

▶ 24:42 Michael P. Zwirko: Yes, it will. you know i was just wondering you said that you worked with the health department in this will will this only be going specifically to cruisers and police uh patrolmen or will this also be deployed uh in other departments or for use or even into the community sole purpose of the

▶ 24:54 Speaker 9: melrose police department for our officers thank you thank you all the men twerko president khan

▶ 25:04 Speaker 8: yeah um i i would like to see a line item in the budget in the next fiscal year which covers the Narcan expense I know it wasn't in there last year it's a small expenditure of money it's a very very important item and I hope that if anybody from upstairs the administration is watching that they budget for this item next year that's

▶ 25:29 Speaker 10: all Thank You president Kahn thank you anyone else I just wanted to make one

▶ 25:34 Michael P. Zwirko: comment to those that might not know this at home Narcan can be purchased without a prescription at pharmacies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts so for folks that may feel that they need it or want it just wanted to make that comment

▶ 25:49 Scott M. Forbes: Thank You Alvin's work Oh Alvin MacMaster Margolis thank you in regards to

▶ 25:54 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: President Kahn I know another local organization which also funded Narcan for the elementary schools and I believe we also received something from Leahy for the middle in the high school was my understanding chief is that I know that

▶ 26:13 Speaker 9: there is a program and it's infancy with the school department I don't know where it's where it's at at this point I know that officer Applegate is the science of the school in his vehicle that's a science of school has Naxalone Narcan in

▶ 26:25 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: it okay I just know I just remember from this substance abuse prevention group that there was that Leahy was going to be funding doses available at the high school in the middle school and then the health department the sub gen Cali reached out to some local organizations to fund it in the elementary schools which has happened as well so I'm glad to see that we are covering all bases but I do believe that this is a more expensive line item than just the 1700 if you're covering the schools and any other municipal areas or whatever but I certainly agree with Alderman President Kahn we should be looking at to fund it that way instead of having to fund it outside the budget thank you next we

▶ 27:18 Peter D. Mortimer: have Alderman Mortimer thank you very much Jim Forbes chief for the people at home would you describe how Narcan is administered to the person who may be

▶ 27:28 Speaker 9: be under the influence of an overdose of drugs it's actually a very simple process it's it's through an analyzer through and maybe Gil can help me with it an atomizer atomizer and it's actually sprayed into 50% of it into one nostril and then the other nostril it's a very effective it has one purpose and that is to counter the effects of opioids that's it so when a person that is not under the influence of an opioid it would have no effect on that person

▶ 27:58 Peter D. Mortimer: no harmful effect right or no effect at all yes it would have no absolutely no effect so this this can't be abused and used as a kind of a amphetamine speedy

▶ 28:09 Speaker 9: type drug there's one purpose and that's the kind of the effects of opioids right

▶ 28:12 Peter D. Mortimer: is it but unfortunately sometimes people use certain medications for off-label purposes I know Ritalin was one a while ago it it calms down children who have hyperactivity but a lot of drug addicts have been seeking Ritalin as a kind of an alternative to speed to the speedy type drugs because on adults instead of calming them down as it does on children it it cooks them up but Narcan is not

▶ 28:42 Speaker 9: subject to this type of abuse it has one purpose and there's there is no effects other than then the counter the effects of opioids has no impact on any individual at all no health effects very good and in regards to Waldemans workers

▶ 28:54 Peter D. Mortimer: comment about you can buy Narcan without a prescription and have it at home have you been aware of any people who are addicts who do that who have their own Narcan at home in case they take themselves too far and then in that tone

▶ 29:10 Speaker 9: I would think that the for HIPAA reasons if somebody does purchase it that way or or for a family member or whatever it may be. I mean, that's very private. We don't have any of that information.

▶ 29:23 Peter D. Mortimer: Right, well, yeah, I'm just wondering if anecdotally, because if it's able to be purchased without a prescription, then you wouldn't have to even show ID.

▶ 29:33 Speaker 9: I'm not familiar with the program with our local pharmacies or not. I know that we purchase it through Melrose-Wakefield Hospital. There's a new program through the Department of Public Health for mass buying power to reduce the cost considerably for law enforcement. But as far as local pharmacies, I'm unfamiliar with that program.

▶ 29:51 Peter D. Mortimer: Yeah, because as you probably recall, being much more involved with it than I am, a few years ago for even certain antihistamines, which were non-prescription, the pharmacies were asking at least for ID because the story was that they could be used to help manufacture crystal meth if people bought enough of it. So pharmacies weren't, it was a non-prescription item, but pharmacies were still asking for people to show an ID to make sure people weren't buying inordinate quantities of it. But I'm happy to hear the good news to bring this full circle, this little Gulliver's Travels I've gone on is that Narcan is not subject to abuse like antihistamines and other things. It's got that one purpose only and that's excellent news. Thank you very much, Chief. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

▶ 30:39 Scott M. Forbes: Thank you, next up we got President Kahn followed by Alderman Medeiros.

▶ 30:42 Speaker 8: Yeah, I think upon further reflection I have nothing further to say, Mr. Chairman.

▶ 30:46 Speaker 10: Very well, Mr. President. All of them are dearest. You have the floor.

▶ 30:49 Monica C. Medeiros: Thank you. And yes, we definitely thank Leahy for their donation. Chief, this is certainly a last resort drug.

▶ 31:04 Monica C. Medeiros: Have there been instances where you've used of the eight deployments, have any of them been to the same individuals?

▶ 31:14 Speaker 9: I can't comment on that, unfortunately, but I would say that there have been multiple doses given to individuals that are under the, I'm going to use the word influence, under the effects of an opioid to bring them back. And you know what? I have to give credit to our officers for recognizing the symptoms and when they go to these calls, usually when they go to a call like this, the place is cleaned so that You have no idea what the effects are, and I give the officers credit for realizing what they have in their hands, and they deploy it, and you know what, and miraculously these people come around. It gives them an opportunity another day to fight their addiction, to get their life in order.

▶ 31:55 Monica C. Medeiros: Absolutely, and for their families and friends to have them with them. But certainly, obviously, this is ... It's looked at as an illness.

▶ 32:02 Speaker 9: This is an illness. This is not a, you know, I don't even like to use the word drug addict. This is an illness. People are, you know, under the effects of a drug that has got a grip on their lives and has just turned it upside down.

▶ 32:18 Monica C. Medeiros: And, you know, some of the best things we can do is to try to prevent this. And I just thought you might mention the drop-off if people do have extra pills, for instance, and they like to get them out of their house.

▶ 32:31 Speaker 9: We empty that two or three times a week. the the kiosk in the police department for anybody at home it's a all we ask is please do not bring liquids in there we find people drop off needles and everything else it's for is prescription pills only you don't have to bring your your aspirins or whatever diet pills vitamin pills that have expired it's

▶ 32:55 Monica C. Medeiros: only for prescriptions so any member of the public can drop off extra prescription pills yes at the police kiosk drop yes that's 24 hours a day thank you very much

▶ 33:04 Monica C. Medeiros: chief thank you to the officers and and thank you to lay you're welcome thank you thank you all in

▶ 33:09 Scott M. Forbes: maderos uh we do have a motion to recommend in duly second and all those in favor aye any opposed motion passes chief this order will be recommended for passage at our next full board meeting obviously you know you don't have to be present for that vote and we do thank you for your