March 29, 2024
Local News

Barrington Hills police use Narcan for first time in heroin overdose

BARRINGTON HILLS – For the first time since they started carrying the opioid reversal drug Narcan, Barrington Hills police used it to save someone suspected of overdosing on heroin.

Two Barrington Hills officers responded to a 911 call that a woman had overdosed on heroin last Tuesday, according to a news release from the village. When the officers arrived, they found a woman in her 20s unresponsive, but breathing. One of the officers administered Narcan, while the second offered monitored the woman's breathing and pulse, officials said.

When officers realized the woman had stopped breathing, they started CPR. After about a minute, the woman was breathing on her own and transported to an area hospital by a crew from the Barrington Countryside Fire Department, according to the release. Officials said she was released from the hospital after being treated.

Village President Martin McLaughlin praised the officers for administering Narcan. He said police started carrying it in their squad cars in February 2015 as part of the Lake County Opioid Initiative.

“If it weren't for these officers' rapid response and quick thinking, chances are this woman would not be alive today,” McLaughlin said in the release.