An anti-drug-overdose medication recently made readily available for people in custody at all San Diego County jails saved the life of one and, possibly, two inmates this week, authorities reported Wednesday.
Shortly after 10:00 p.m., on Tuesday, an alarm notified deputies at George Bailey Detention Facility in Otay Mesa that someone had accessed a dose of Naloxone, a nasal spray that rapidly reverses and blocks the effects of opioids or narcotics in the body, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
By the time jailers got to the unit where the medication had been dispensed, a drug-overdose victim had been revived by other inmates who had administered the antidote, officials said.
The patient received more Naloxone in a medical unit at the jail before being taken to an outside hospital for further treatment.
While dealing with the emergency, deputies noticed another inmate showing symptoms of an opioid overdose. He also was given Naloxone before being taken to a trauma center.
Both patients have been treated and released from medical care and are back in custody.
A deputy and a service dog searching the housing unit where the apparent overdoses occurred found a substance that tested positive for fentanyl, according to jail officials.
The Sheriff’s Department began placing Naloxone kits in common areas and visitation facilities of housing units at all county jails in June. As part of the program, officials show inmates an instructional video about the medication during booking processes and periodically thereafter.
City News Center contributed to this article.