Deputies Carry Lifesaving Drugs (YouTube)

Salem Health is helping police reverse opioid overdoses. Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office recognized the need for the drug naloxone in order to save lives.

"We were looking for help. And I just reached out to the hospital because ... that's where we take folks that we help," said Sheriff Mark Garton. "We really started there and asked, 'Hey, is this something that you guys would be interested in doing?' Because we all have the same goal: To make people safe."

Salem Health was able to fund enough naloxone for every Polk County Sheriff's deputy to carry multiple doses. The naloxone attaches to the part of the brain that receives opioids and blocks them.

"It is something that was vitally needed, and Salem Health really stepped up and made it happen for us," Garton said.

Opioids affect all kinds of people: the young and the old, the rich and the poor, and even people who have had no history of drug abuse or overdose. Salem Health is committed to helping everyone it serves, including those struggling with opioid use.

For more information, read about prenatal opioid awareness and managing opioid use for pain.