In an effort to provide residents with easy access to life-saving resources, one local municipality has added additional emergency care items to its automated external defibrillator boxes located in city buildings.
The City of Coppell announced last week that its automated external defibrillator (AED) boxes are now equipped with bleed control kits and doses of Narcan.
AEDs are easy-to-use devices that can “analyze the heart’s beating rhythm, and, if necessary due to sudden cardiac arrest, … deliver an electrical shock to help the heart return to its normal rhythm,” the city explained in the announcement.
The city added Narcan to the AED boxes in response to the ongoing opioid overdose crisis in Texas and across the country. The Texas Department of Health and Human Services reports that as many as five Texans per day die from overdosing on fentanyl, an increasingly common but incredibly dangerous opioid.
Narcan, a nasal spray version of the drug naloxone, is a life-saving medication used to quickly reverse the effects of opioid overdose. Easy-to-read instructions for use are included on the drug’s packaging, the city noted.
The FDA approved naloxone as an over-the-counter medication in March to combat the ongoing opioid overdose crisis, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed multiple pieces of legislation into law in June in response to the state’s opioid crisis, including Senate Bill 867, which enables the distribution of Narcan to public schools, community centers, colleges, and universities in the state.
In addition to Narcan, the city has added bleed control kits — containing medical gloves, various bandages, and a tourniquet — to its AED boxes.
Officials believe that adding the Narcan and bleed kits to the existing AED boxes will not only aid in creating a “healthy and vibrant community” but also give citizens a way to buy time for medical professionals to arrive on the scene and administer care in an emergency.
“The Coppell Fire Department takes an all-hazards approach,” said Chief Kevin Richardson. “We aim to be prepared for any and all emergencies, and the updates to the AED boxes represent another safety measure we have in place to protect the health and safety of our community.”
These boxes are located in multiple city-operated facilities, such as the Coppell Arts Center, Cozby Library, Andrew Brown West Concession Booth, and the Biodiversity Education Center.