Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico and Harrisburg Police Chief Tom Carter today announced that an officer from the Harrisburg Police Department successfully administered the anti-overdose drug Naloxone to an unresponsive 27 year old female in the 200 block of South 13th Street on Sunday afternoon. EMS personnel arrived and provided further treatment and transported the female to a local hospital. Marsico credited the officer for his quick assessment of the situation and action in administering the drug.

Earlier this year, the District Attorney's Office purchased Naloxone for interested police departments in Dauphin County. Funding for the drug was provided by Capital Blue Cross in conjunction with the Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association.  This is the first time Naloxone was administered by local police in Dauphin County since it was distributed. The following departments carry Naloxone in Dauphin County: Steelton, Halifax, Derry, Susquehanna, Harrisburg and the Dauphin County Sheriff's Office. Also, the Pennsylvania State Police carry the drug.

Naloxone, also known by brand names "Narcan" or "Evzio," is a prescription medicine that rapidly reverses heroin and other opioid overdoses. 

Heroin and opioid overdose are the leading cause of accidental death in Pennsylvania, killing more individuals than those involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents. In 2013, approximately 2,400 Pennsylvanians died from a drug overdose.

In November 2014, Act 139 or David's Law took effect, which made naloxone available to law enforcement, first responders, family members, friends or other persons in a position to assist an individual at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose.