For Immediate Release

Monday, June 19, 2017

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

P.A.A.R.I. Works with City of Gloucester to Place Narcan in Public Buildings

GLOUCESTER — Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I) Co-Founder and Chairman John Rosenthal and Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade are pleased to announce that P.A.A.R.I. has partnered with the City of Gloucester to place 4 mg doses of Narcan in public buildings.

The 4 mg doses, which will be provided by P.A.A.R.I. through a donation from Adapt Pharma, will be placed in the recently installed automated external defibrillator kits. Adding Narcan to these locations will allow the public and city officials to be better equipped in the event that someone witnesses an opioid overdose.

“P.A.A.R.I. is pleased to partner with the Mayor, Gloucester Police Department, Gloucester Fire Department and Department of Public Health to make life-saving nasal naloxone more accessible in the community,” Hunter McDade said. “Lives will be saved by making Narcan available in these public locations and training city employees to be able to assist in emergency situations. We applaud the city’s efforts to continually makes strides in response to this growing epidemic.”

Narcan will be available at the following locations as of June 20:

• CATA City Hall Annex, 3 Pond Road
• City Hall, 9 Dale Ave.
• Rose Baker Senior Center, 6 Manuel F Lewis St.
• Department of Public Works, 28 Poplar St.
• Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Ave.

“Overdose victims often have mere minutes to survive, so it is imperative that Narcan is readily available to the public in the event that someone witnesses an overdose and needs to assist prior to first responders arrival,” Rosenthal said. “We’re happy to work with Gloucester officials to equip the city with this lifesaving drug.”

Officials will continue to work with P.A.A.R.I. to add Narcan kits to the Visitor Center, Wingarsheek Beach and Good Harbor Beach.

Additionally, the Gloucester Health and Personnel Departments, in collaboration with the Gloucester Fire Department, are providing free nasal Narcan training for all interested city employees.

“The support that our city and community partners continue to provide show that Gloucester continues to lead within education, training and compassionate care,” Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken said. “We all combat negative stigmas around addiction and abuse, but proven solutions always start with awareness – especially through trusted leaders. Through the addition of Narcan within our medical kits, we can help save a life in the event of an overdoses in or near a city building. We will always do all that we can to help those need and I’m proud of this program’s growth.”

###