Inmates in Maryland to Learn Naloxone Administration

Inmates throughout the state of Maryland will be learning to save lives by administering naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, starting this month.

According to the Baltimore Sun, inmates on their way out of the prison system having completed sentences will be receiving naloxone kits. This is due to a recommendation “made last year by the state’s Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force” and $150,000 annually from health officials (Ackerman, 2016). This will be taking place across five Maryland counties.

In addition, three hundred Baltimore County inmates will be trained to use the kit and “more than 230 inmates” have already been trained in Calvert County (Ackerman, 2016).

“We’re trying to make sure that the naloxone is in their hands when they leave. A very high percentage of people incarcerated are substance users,” stated Baltimore County Health Department Program Manager Mary Viggiani (Ackerman, 2016).

All inmates are welcome to join the program, though inmates “with sentences longer than thirty days are automatically enrolled in the training” (Ackerman, 2016).

References

Ackerman, M. (2016). Maryland inmates will soon learn how to administer naloxone. Retrieved from https://www.thefix.com/maryland-inmates-will-soon-learn-how-administer-naloxone

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