LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In the last 12 months, four people who were incarcerated in the Louisville jail died because of an overdose, according to the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. 

Late last week, leaders said someone in custody in the jail was able to save someone else’s life with the overdose-reversing drug, Narcan.

Ben Goldman is the community health administrator for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. He said the life-saving event happened just one day after Narcan was provided to the jail.

“One of the other people in his dorm noticed it, several of the people in the dorm responded and they used the Narcan that was inside of the dorm that had been placed there, I think only one day before,” he told Spectrum News 1. 

The city said staff recently placed Narcan in all 51 dorms at LMDC and the department is the first in Kentucky to put this kind of program in place. 

“It’s a lot easier for a person inside of a room, inside of a locked room with another person to begin those lifesaving measures, as opposed to the added time that would elapse as that person who notices the overdose is then going to the intercom, paging an officer and waiting for the officer or medical response,” said Goldman. 

Shreeta Waldon leads the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition. (Spectrum News 1/Erin Kelly)

Shreeta Waldon leads the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, which distributes Narcan and fentanyl test strips statewide and partners with the health department on outreach services. 

“It felt amazing to see the story that an individual’s life was saved at LMDC,” said Waldon. “It shows that our city is moving forward, that we are on the progressive side of things. We have implemented a program.”

Waldon said there is still work to do, but one life saved brings her hope. 

“It didn’t just stay in the talking phase. It has moved into action.”

If you would like to request Narcan, you can call the health department at 502-574-8800 or you can find a list of locations in Louisville here.