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Hillsboro hosts Narcan training, highlights county overdose response and recognizes mayor with new 'Spirit of Hillsboro' award
Summary
County EMS and police briefed the board on opioid overdose recognition, Narcan (naloxone) use and distribution sites. The board presented a new Spirit of Hillsboro award to Mayor Mark Bell after an incident in which first responders revived a person with naloxone.
The Hillsboro board on Sept. 8 heard a public briefing on naloxone (Narcan) use and the county’s post‑overdose response team and recognized a local rescue with a new civic award.
Interim Police Chief Jason Wyn introduced Landon Weaver of Orange County EMS, who walked commissioners and attendees through the signs of opioid overdose, when naloxone is likely to help, and where members of the public can obtain naloxone locally. ‘‘If someone is unresponsive and not breathing adequately, that is a candidate for naloxone,’’ Weaver said, adding that bystanders should still call 911 and that, in some cases when the person is not breathing at all, CPR takes priority.
Weaver described legal protections that make naloxone administration lawful in North Carolina and pointed to multiple county access points: naloxone stocked on every ambulance and EMS station, free dispensers at Southern Human Services, and a vending machine at the detention center set up for public distribution. Weaver also described a mobile post‑overdose response team that provides naloxone and harm‑reduction resources countywide.
During public remarks, Lieutenant Hokes of the Hillsboro Police Department introduced the new ‘‘Spirit of Hillsboro’’ award and recounted an incident on July 9 in which Mayor Mark Bell found an unresponsive person on Orange Street, called 911 and remained on scene; first responders administered naloxone and reportedly gave two doses, reviving the person. The award was presented to Mayor Bell "to acknowledge exceptional actions" that saved a life, Hokes said.
The presentation underscored local availability of naloxone and harm‑reduction outreach, and Weaver answered audience questions about dosing (intranasal atomizers commonly deliver a 4 mg dose), shelf life (about three years with temperature caveats) and cost (retail prices vary; grants and discount programs were cited).
What’s next: Staff and county partners encouraged the public to obtain naloxone and to complete brief trainings; commissioners thanked the presenters and noted the award as an example of community members rendering life‑saving aid.
