Marshall County Sheriff Matt Hassel approached the county council members Monday morning with a grant request to apply for Naloxone rescue kits.
“There’s no match or salaries attached to the grant,” explained Hassel. “Simply we agree to submit a report to the Indiana Department of Health when we use the test kits. This would enable the staff at the jail and my patrol deputies to be able to administer Narcan if we have an opiate overdose.”
Sheriff Hassel explained that there is no monetary amount attached to the grant. The sheriff would put in an initial number of Narcan kits needed for his department and the Indiana State Department of Health would supply those kits to the county. He said as long as his department submits a usage report those kits will be replaced.
Councilman Jim Masterson asked Hassel about the frequency in which the kits are used. Hassel replied that they’re not used very often, but in the few times his staff has used the kits they have been life-saving.
Sheriff Hassel said it’s important to have the kits, especially at the jail.
“A big concern is the jail because we don’t know what we’re taking in. Sometimes you can’t recognize the level of intoxication when it comes to drugs like that. Alcohol is easily determined. Before we had the kits accessible, thank goodness EMS got there fast enough and they used theirs on one person.”
The jail staff and the deputies have been trained to administer Narcan should the need arise.
The Marshall County Council members unanimously approved Hassel’s request to apply for the kits.
