Calls For Prison Guards, Inmates To Carry Naloxone Intensify Following Two Suspected Overdose Deaths At San Quentin
Forty California inmates died of drug overdoses last year, and California’s long-term drug overdose rate is more than three times the nationwide prison rate.
The Mercury News:
Suspected Fatal Overdoses At San Quentin Prompt Call For Life-Saving Drug Availability
A pair of suspected fatal overdoses on San Quentin State Prison’s death row this week is adding urgency to an effort to allow California prison guards and even inmates to carry a drug that can save the lives of those who overdose on opioids. Attorneys made the request earlier this year to state corrections officials and the federal receiver who controls prison medical care under a long-running lawsuit, Steven Fama of the nonprofit Prison Law Office said Thursday. (Thompson, 12/7)
KQED:
San Quentin Deaths Come Amid Increase In Drug Overdoses At Prison
The recent deaths of two inmates on California's death row at San Quentin State Prison took place as Marin County health paramedics received a "spike" in calls from the prison related to opioid overdoses, according to the county's top health official.Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County's public health officer, said in the past six months the county's emergency medical services responded to 155 ambulance calls at San Quentin. (Goldberg and Shuler, 12/9)