Teh One Who Knocks
06-28-2017, 10:33 AM
by Larry Davis, WKRC
http://i.imgur.com/d5Ac4jS.png
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (WKRC) - The heroin epidemic shows no sign of letting up and first responders are on the front lines. But a Middletown city council member questions if medics should even respond to overdoses to ease the financial burden.
The cost of responding to heroin overdoses is putting a financial strain on Middletown. The city spent ten thousand dollars on Narcan in 2016. That figure could top $100,000 in 2017.
"Its only getting worse, it's not getting better. Right now, it's getting to the point where it's going to hurt every citizen in Middletown because we're going to run out of money." Council member Dan Picard says people who overdose once or twice should be revived but to offset the cost they should perform community service.
Picard says the third time, city emergency crews should not respond. "This will be like their third strike. They'll have two opportunities, we'll treat them twice. But, unfortunately at some point we're going to run of money."
The heroin problem is definitely getting out of hand in Middletown. From a cost perspective, the city will spend ten times more money this year in treating heroin overdoses.
Middletown fire officials say they have a moral and legal obligation to respond to all emergencies. They say more money is being spent on Narcan because more is being administered because of the potency of the heroin. Fire chief Paul Lolli says its not just a financial problem. "Its not just a Middletown problem. It's a regional and it taxes the services, it increases your run numbers tremendously, it increases the stress on the personnel."
Picard says he has been asked how do you not provide emergency treatment? His response, "How money are you willing to contribute to it? How high should we raise the taxes in Middletown?"
Picard says he is just looking for a financial solution. "What im trying to do with this plan is scare people and I'm up front about that. I want to scare these people who are dealing drugs or doing drugs into not coming to Middletown because we don't have the money to treat them."
Middletown city officials are waiting for an opinion from its law department on whether refusing emergency service would be legal. There have already been as many drug overdoses this year than all of last year.
http://i.imgur.com/d5Ac4jS.png
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (WKRC) - The heroin epidemic shows no sign of letting up and first responders are on the front lines. But a Middletown city council member questions if medics should even respond to overdoses to ease the financial burden.
The cost of responding to heroin overdoses is putting a financial strain on Middletown. The city spent ten thousand dollars on Narcan in 2016. That figure could top $100,000 in 2017.
"Its only getting worse, it's not getting better. Right now, it's getting to the point where it's going to hurt every citizen in Middletown because we're going to run out of money." Council member Dan Picard says people who overdose once or twice should be revived but to offset the cost they should perform community service.
Picard says the third time, city emergency crews should not respond. "This will be like their third strike. They'll have two opportunities, we'll treat them twice. But, unfortunately at some point we're going to run of money."
The heroin problem is definitely getting out of hand in Middletown. From a cost perspective, the city will spend ten times more money this year in treating heroin overdoses.
Middletown fire officials say they have a moral and legal obligation to respond to all emergencies. They say more money is being spent on Narcan because more is being administered because of the potency of the heroin. Fire chief Paul Lolli says its not just a financial problem. "Its not just a Middletown problem. It's a regional and it taxes the services, it increases your run numbers tremendously, it increases the stress on the personnel."
Picard says he has been asked how do you not provide emergency treatment? His response, "How money are you willing to contribute to it? How high should we raise the taxes in Middletown?"
Picard says he is just looking for a financial solution. "What im trying to do with this plan is scare people and I'm up front about that. I want to scare these people who are dealing drugs or doing drugs into not coming to Middletown because we don't have the money to treat them."
Middletown city officials are waiting for an opinion from its law department on whether refusing emergency service would be legal. There have already been as many drug overdoses this year than all of last year.