Last Updated on August 23, 2018 by cassnetwork
Today, the Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse launched an interactive, online Naloxone Administration Heat Map, providing insight into the location of incidents where naloxone was administered and reported by emergency medical services (EMS) providers throughout the state.
Also known by the brand name Narcan®, naloxone blocks the effects of an opioid overdose and can save the life of the patient. After they administer naloxone, Indiana EMS providers report to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) the locations of incidents when an overdose situation is presumed.
“Naloxone is a proven life-saver,” said Jim McClelland, Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement. “This map gives first responders a visual asset to help them deploy resources more efficiently. It’s one more tool we can use to attack the drug epidemic and promote recovery—an important focus of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration.”
Developed through a partnership between the Indiana Management Performance Hub and the IDHS, the Naloxone Administration Heat Map displays naloxone administrations reported by EMS since Jan. 1, 2014.
“As we continue to battle the opioid epidemic from all angles, this new tool will both inform our first responders and help identify general locations that have seen an increase in naloxone delivery,” said State EMS Medical Director Dr. Michael Kaufmann. “Indiana EMS providers and first responders deliver this life-saving medication every day, and the data produced through this mapping tool will help to guide the ongoing strategy of Gov. Holcomb’s NextLevel Recovery agenda.”
Care was taken to protect privacy with the placement of points on the map. Accordingly, in densely populated areas, locations where the naloxone administration occurred are represented within 100 meters of the point on the map. In moderately populated areas, they are within 300 meters, and in rural areas, they are within 500 meters.
View the Naloxone Administration Heat Map on the Next Level Recovery website at https://www.in.gov/recovery/1054.htm.
SOURCE: News release from the Office of Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb