The Mississippi Department of Mental Health is teaching law enforcement officers how to use a medication that's proven to reverse the effects of opiod overdoses. MPB's Ashley Norwood reports.

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health is supplying law enforcement officers with a medication that blocks and reverses the effects of opiod overdoses.  In the last six months, more than 7,000 units of Narcan have been distributed across the state. 

The Brandon Police Department is just one of more than 130 different agencies that have received doses and training on how to use it from the mental health department.   

Angela Mallette with the Department of Health says the drug has saved the lives of 35 Mississippians. 

"If someone's at home and they call 911, the police are going to get there before the ambulance does. So it's important for us to equip them with Narcan because if that's the case, they can go ahead and administer it," said Mallette.

Lieutenant Mark Miller with the Brandon Police Department says they are in the process of adopting a policy to make Narcan accessible for its officers at all times.

"Narcan can be administered to an infant child. I had no idea until we had taken this class which is a huge plus for us because we can administer it to anybody from an infant all the way on up to an adult," said Miller.

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health has trained agencies in 58 of the 82 counties in the state. Ashley Norwood, MPB News.