South Florida has seen a major increase in the use of Narcan -- a legal drug used to revive overdose patients -- from year to year.
The city of Miami alone spent five times the amount on Narcan over the course of one year. The city spent $180,900 in 2016, as compared to $36,459 in 2015.
Paramedics say they don’t go out on a call without having their emergency vehicles stocked with Narcan.
The cost more than doubled at three other departments combined in South Florida from $330,638 to $134,604 in one year’s time.
Those departments include:
- Broward Sheriff’s Office
- Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue
- Miami Dade Fire-Rescue
The costs are chipping away at the agencies strapped budgets -- requiring more staffing on part of the fire department, police, the ER, and the hospitals