The Gainesville Police Department will soon have the ability to treat opioid overdose victims, thanks to a grant from Project DAN (Deaths Avoided by Naloxone).
The department will receive 82 naloxone kits, fully funded by Project DAN with no match needed from the city, joining other local law enforcement divisions in putting the drug, which reverses overdose symptoms with no side effects, to use.
According to documents presented at Thursday morning's Gainesville City Council work session, naloxone has reversed 266 overdoses in Georgia since 2014, when an amenesty law was passed that protected 911 callers from prosecution if they reported an overdose victim.
"37 of those (saved) have been by law enforcement. I do know that recently we've had more. We've had two recently in Hall County, and one in Habersham County," said Lt. Nina Harkins, training director for Gainesville Police.
Also included in the grant is the training to use the kits, and Harkins said there will be enough for every patrol unit to have one.
"It's a great deal," said Mayor Danny Dunagan.
Also at Thursday's meeting, council moved forward with $945,908 worth of paving projects, which is funded in part by $506,169 in grant money from the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The following roads will be paved:
- Club Drive
- Lakeview Drive
- Memorial Drive
- Northside Drive
- Piedmont Road
- Purina Drive
- Ridgeview Drive
- Summit Street
The city is required to present at least a 30 percent match to the GDOT grant funds, but council members said they tend to shoot higher than that to put more money into the city's roads.
"I just get excited when I see paving going on," Councilman Sam Couvillon said.
The contract was awarded to Allied Paving Contractors, a Jackson County company which provided the lowest of three bids.
