Lehigh County District Attorney James B. Martin has announced that all police departments in Lehigh County and detectives in various task forces will begin using the opioid reversal antidote naloxone in overdose cases.

Martin said a memorandum of understanding was entered into between the District Attorney's Office and the following police departments: Alburtis, Bethlehem, Catasauqua, Coopersburg, Macungie, Salisbury Township, Coplay, Emmaus, Fountain Hill, Lower Milford Township, Slatington, South Whitehall Township, Upper Macungie Township, Upper Saucon Township, and Whitehall Township."The importance of this naloxone administration program cannot be overstated. Currently, opiate overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in Lehigh County. When certain requirements are met. Detectives and officers who have been trained will be able to administer Naloxone to individuals experiencing an opioid-related overdose. This program will save lives and combat the destructive affects that overdoses have on families and our communities," Martin said.Martin said additional funds have recently been made available to enable the purchase of more naloxone and that he hopes to include campus police and the Department of Probation and Parole in the program in early 2016.Martin said the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Health Statistics and Research, reported an increase in overdose deaths from 2.7 to 15.4 per thousand from 1990-2011. Between 2009 and 2013, nearly 3,000 heroin-related overdose deaths were identified by coroners in Pennsylvania, 40 of which were in Lehigh County, according to Martin. Lehigh County Coroner Scott M. Grim said that in 2015, Lehigh County investigated 103 drug deaths, of which 35 were heroin or synthetic drug related."Heroin overdoses are not limited to urban areas," Martin said, adding that the epidemic has spread to rural and suburban areas. "Abuse and overdose continue to escalate, affecting every age group and every demographic," he added.Martin said the Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association has received a grant from Capital BlueCross to help district attorneys in the 21 counties in which it does business to acquire a supply of naloxone for their police departments. Martin said that a grant also was received from the Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust for training and the acquisition of naloxone kits.The program was established in conjunction with the PDAA, Capital BlueCross and the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.Opioid drugs include morphine, heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, Percocet, Percodan, methadone, codeine and hydrocodone.