In the past five days, EPPD officers have responded to three opioid overdoses in Eden Prairie.
All three people received naloxone, a medication administered through the nose that reverses the effects of an overdose, and all three survived. There has been one additional overdose in Eden Prairie this year, bringing the 2018 total to four.
From 2016 to 2017, Eden Prairie experienced a 425-percent increase in the number of opioid overdoses.
In 2016, four people overdosed on opioids and two of them died. The heroin dealer linked to one of those deaths was charged with homicide and is in the midst of a trial. She has already been sentenced in two other heroin overdose deaths in the metro area.
In 2017, 21 people overdosed on opioids in Eden Prairie and two of them died. A man who supplied the heroin to one of the victims was charged with homicide. Eleven of the 19 overdose survivors received naloxone administered by first responders. All EPPD officers, Eden Prairie firefighters and paramedics who service Eden Prairie carry naloxone in their vehicles.
The EPPD is continually searching to find solutions to this epidemic. We are currently working on developing a Recovery Assistance Program (RAP), which would provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships for Eden Prairie victims of opioid addiction. The scholarships would help cover treatment-related expenses. The RAP would also provide follow-up to participants with the goal of deepening their relationships with officers through a mentorship program emphasizing encouragement and goalsetting. We are in the process of seeking funding for this program through private sources. No tax dollars will be used to fund the program.
This post was originally published on February 28, 2018 at the Eden Prairie Police Department’s blog.
