Providence St. Mary security officers on patrol carrying Narcan
In the middle of the night, a man sprinted down the street toward the hospital, yelling for help. He ran into Providence St. Mary Medical Center security officers out on patrol and frantically told them someone had overdosed.
That night in 2024, the officers called 911 for an ambulance. Today, St. Mary security officers would call 911 and administer naloxone (trade name Narcan) to counteract the opioid overdose while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
This spring, driven by the rise in accidental overdoses and deaths from fentanyl in Walla Walla, every Providence St. Mary security officer began carrying Narcan nasal spray while patrolling.
Inside of Providence St. Mary, there are medical professionals on duty 24-7, and the hospital has a supply of Narcan not just back in the treatment areas of the Emergency Department, but also at the ambulance entrance and in the triage area for immediate treatment.
The challenge for Security is different. Security officers patrol the grounds of all Providence clinics and properties, some of which are blocks away from the hospital. If they encounter an individual who has overdosed, they want to be able to do what they can to try to save the person’s life while waiting for the ambulance.
The individual who overdosed that night in 2024 survived. Not everyone does.
“Walla Walla had the highest number of overdoses ever recorded, and that got us thinking about what we could do in Security if we came upon a person who was down from an overdose,” said Susan Leathers, RN, manager of Security at Providence St. Mary Medical Center.
Suspected overdoses are reported to the Washington State Department of Health. The statistics show a dramatic increase in opioid overdoses treated in the Providence St. Mary Emergency Department, jumping from 48 in 2020 to 127 in 2023. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responses climbed from 33 to 100 in the same time period.
“When there is an opioid overdose, you only have minutes to act,” Leathers said. “It suppresses respiration, and the person can stop breathing.”
Once the Narcan is given, people still must be transported to an emergency department for treatment, Leathers said. They can quickly go into withdrawal once it is given, and if a large enough dose of opioids was taken, the symptoms of the overdose may return as the Narcan wears off. Leathers also noted that Narcan is effective only with opioids and does not help with alcohol or methamphetamine.
Providence St. Mary is believed to be the first Providence hospital in Washington and Oregon to equip security officers with Narcan. In Washington, first responders are authorized to possess and administer naloxone. Security officers legally are considered first responders under the state’s definition. Providence St. Mary officers’ training includes how to recognize a potential opioid overdose, emergency response procedures and how to administer the Narcan nasal spray.
It’s not the only emergency medical intervention they carry. Officers also are equipped with tourniquets to stop bleeding if they are first on the scene of an event with severe bleeding injuries. Equipping officers with Narcan as well seemed a logical step.
“Healthcare security has become very specialized. It is only natural to train officers in life-saving interventions,” Leathers said. “This is something we can do that may save lives and also supports the actions of EMS.”
“Our officers are a very progressive group. They want to help,” said Mike Smith, Providence St. Mary Security supervisor. “With the terrible situation of opioids in the community, this is how we can do something in the moment to make a difference. The opioid epidemic is not going away.”
