OKEECHOBEE – Overdose emergency kits will be installed on county buildings thanks to the Hanley Foundation.

At the April 11 meeting of the Okeechobee County Commission, Casey Rogers of the Hanley Foundation, asked permission to install overdose emergency boxes on the outside of county buildings, at boat ramps and in county parks for public use. She said the Hanley Foundation will provide the boxes and keep them filled.

Posters near the boxes will explain how to recognize an overdose. “We package it with information on resources for health, a face mask and gloves,” Rogers added.

The foundation supplies Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office and Okeechobee City Police with Narcan, she explained. They also provide Narcan to the jail to give to inmates who are released. “You’re not going to spray yourself if you are the addict. But if you have it on you, someone else can help you,” she said.

“The need for it is being proven over and over with accidental overdoses,” she said, because addicts leave narcotics lying around.

“A child picks it up and puts it in their mouth -- they overdose,” she said.

“It’s free to anyone who needs it, anyone who thinks they need it, anyone who wants it,” she said.

The nasal spray can help reverse an overdose, but they still need immediate medical care, Rogers said. The hope is the Narcan will keep the overdose victim alive until rescuers can get them to the Emergency Room.

County Administrator Deborah Manzo said the county will need a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and staff will identify locations for the boxes.

Commissioner Kelly Owens asked if there was a number to call if the box is empty. “If somebody comes up and the box is empty, we don’t want them asking staff,” she said.   “We are working on getting a number to put on them. If it is empty they can call that number,” said Rogers.

A QR code on the box also gives resource information.

Rogers said the emergency boxes are already up at Our Village, Healthy Start, and Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Department Animal Control. She said dogs may find drugs on the ground and overdose, and if that happens, the dogs can be sprayed with Narcan.

“There is so much Fentanyl,” said Sheriff Noel Stephen. He said Okeechobee County recently had a case of a small child overdosing.

Mom and dad were not users, he said. They went to a convenience store. The child apparently found a pill somewhere and picked it up. While they were driving home, the child started overdosing. Deputies had Narcan and were able to save the child, he said.

“Innocent folks are getting exposed to this because the users when they are so high, everything is left out,” said the sheriff.

Signs of an overdose include:

• Blue Lips or Fingertips: Insufficient oxygen circulation may result in a bluish or purplish discoloration around the lips and fingertips, indicating a critical lack of oxygen.
• Limp Body: Opioid overdoses can induce extreme muscle weakness, leading to a limp or floppy body.
• Pinpoint Pupils: Constricted or pinpoint pupils are a hallmark sign of opioid overdose, caused by the drugs’ impact on the muscles controlling pupil size.
• Slow or Shallow Breathing: Opioids depress the respiratory system, leading to slow or shallow breathing. In severe cases, it may progress to respiratory failure.
• Unresponsiveness: Individuals experiencing an opioid overdose may become unresponsive, with difficulty arousing them even through vigorous stimuli.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Narcan can be safely given to people of all ages. This includes a child who may have accidentally taken an opioid pain reliever. Narcan has no effect or side effect on people who have no opioid drugs in their system.