Bryan, health and police officials received overdose response update from PRVI HIDTA task force

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion and Police Commissioner designee Ray Martinez met with members of the PRVI High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force on St. Thomas on Dec. 9, 2021, for an update on the unit’s overdose response strategy.

The federally funded, locally administered task force said its Overdose Response Strategy was intended to increase information-sharing between law enforcement and health care agencies in response to opioid and fentanyl use.

PRVI HIDTA selected former St. Thomas Police Chief and V.I. Police Department Commissioner Rodney Querrard as its Drug Intelligence Officer for the initiative. Encarnacion said she was identifying Health Department personnel to serve as public health analysts.

Officials said a main topic of the meeting was deployment of naloxone, also known as Narcan, which can reverse the effects of an overdose and can be used by overdose victims and law enforcement officers exposed to highly toxic substances such as fentanyl.

Encarnacion said the territory’s hospitals should be included in future discussions of the effort. Querrard said HIDTA had already conducted a two-day educational outreach program at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic School and had scheduled similar programs for February at other high schools in both districts.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-meets-with-hidta-officials-to-get-update-on-overdose-response-strategy/