NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – They are the first ones on the scene responding to all emergencies, and lately they have had an extra hand to combat overdoses in Davidson County.
“They’re in places we just can’t be, and we felt like that was a barrier, that those people needed that medicine at that time,” explained Jeremy Reese, a regional overdose prevention specialist with the organization STARS .
Reese is describing the Leave Behind Program, which works in partnership with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and the Nashville Fire Department (NFD). As part of the program, STARS provides “Opioid Overdose Reversal Kits” to first responders who work on the front lines.
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“Really what it is for is for the people that choose to not go to the hospital. They would rather not go to the hospital; they would rather not ride in the ambulance, so they refuse service, and in that case they definitely need a kit,” Reese explained.