Narcan on Hand

Security Change Proves Lifesaving

The quick actions of Enloe Health Security Officers Rudy Meier (left) and James Geary helped save the life of a young girl who had overdosed in early 2024.

When Rudy Meier, Security Officer II, placed Narcan Nasal Spray at a security podium at Enloe Health Enloe Medical Center, he knew it could stop an opioid overdose. He didn’t know a doctor would use the over-the-counter medicine on a 12-year-old girl — and save her life.

In early 2024, Meier was finishing a 10-hour shift with James Geary, Lead Security Officer. Six minutes before the end of their shift, a car pulled into the Emergency Department driveway.

“I walked around the front, and I see this car ripping around the corner,” Geary said.

The driver, a woman in her early 20s, ran screaming into the lobby. Her little sister, who was in the car, needed help. They had been using drugs, and the situation had turned dire.

“I see Rudy coming out,” Geary said. “And Rudy’s like, ‘I need a wheelchair!’”

But when the officers got to the car, the 12-year-old girl was slumped over in the back seat. Benjamin Isakson, M.D., Katrina Monck, RN, and Amy Yurus, RN, joined the scene. Monck felt for a pulse. Meier and Geary grabbed a gurney as Dr. Isakson called out he needed Narcan.

Narcan, a form of naloxone, is a medicine that can help people who are overdosing on an opioid such as oxycodone, heroin or fentanyl. Anyone, including bystanders with no medical training, can use it to help someone in need.

“Rudy immediately went to the lobby desk, grabbed the kit he had placed at the security podium two weeks prior, opened the package, and placed the Narcan in Dr. Isakson’s hand, confirming the type and dosage,” Geary said.

Dr. Isakson gave the girl the medicine in the Emergency Department driveway. Then caregivers transported her to a room, where she received lifesaving treatment.

Foresight’s 20/20

“While I have no doubt our skillful, knowledgeable medical team would have achieved the same results without the expedited Narcan, I give a great amount of credit to Rudy to have the Narcan readily available,” Geary said. “Thank you, Rudy, for your insight and responsiveness.”

“I just decided to put it there,” Meier said. “You can go down to Rite Aid and buy it without an ID. Anybody can have it.”

The entire Enloe Security team now carries Narcan on their utility belts.

“I am grateful to have the ability to help someone survive an overdose and possibly turn their life around,” Geary said.

Like the rest of the nation, Butte County is feeling the effects of the opioid epidemic. According to Butte County Public Health, “our age-adjusted drug-induced death rate is still roughly twice as high as for the state of California overall.”

Enloe is seeing the effects of this trend. It is not uncommon for patients to seek care at the medical center for opioid-related issues. According to Chris Marking, Enloe’s Senior Director of Pharmacy, caregivers at the medical center gave Narcan 243 times in 2024.

About 280 patients received treatment for overdoses in 2024, including those caused by opioids and other types of drugs, Marking said. But that’s just at the medical center. Butte County EMS gave Narcan an additional 210 times, while police, firefighters and members of the public gave Narcan 180 times, according to Butte County EMS records.

Be Prepared

Overdoses can happen anywhere. In more than 40% of overdose deaths, someone else was nearby, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Keeping naloxone close allows bystanders to stop an overdose and help save lives. It can be especially important for those who have a loved one who is addicted to opioids.

If you’re not sure if someone is overdosing, you can still give that person naloxone. The medicine won’t hurt the person even if it turns out he or she wasn’t having an overdose. It’s also safe for people of all ages, including infants and older adults, according to the CDC.

If Narcan is administered, be sure to: 

• Call 911.
• Keep the person awake and breathing. 
• Lay the person on his or her side to prevent choking. 
• Stay with that person until first responders arrive.