The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office is being recognized for their proactive effort to decrease opiate overdose deaths in the state of Utah. According to an announcement by Utah Naloxone, the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office is trained and equipped and the Uintah County Jail is the first facility in the state to have naloxone rescue kits provided to inmates upon release from incarceration. Utah Naloxone was founded in 2015 and serves to educate the public about and distribute these kits. “The risk of overdose deaths is high for those released from incarceration [or] a period of abstinence and it is difficult to reach folks to make sure they have naloxone,” shares the organization. “Sheriff Labrum and his team realize they have the opportunity to reach people and remind us…we are all good enough to save a life!” In the last year, many law enforcement agencies throughout the Uintah Basin have been trained and carry naloxone while on patrol and there have been local reports of officers saving lives.
