Latest news with #RonThomas
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Naloxone vending machines added at 3 Denver police stations
DENVER (KDVR) — Vending machines with free naloxone kits are now located outside three Denver police stations. The following three locations were chosen based on reported overdose data compiled by The Naloxone Project. District 2 Station (3921 N. Holly St.) District 6 Station (1566 N. Washington St.) Police Administration Building (1331 Cherokee St.) 'Making arrests for for drug related charges, we're really more focused on the sellers and not the not the users,' Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said. 'So, we hope that that users feel comfortable coming here and getting these kits because, at the end of the day, we're all about public safety and harm reduction. I think is a huge part of public safety.' Free on Your TV • New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Dr. Don Stader, Executive Director at The Naloxone Project, addressed a common question: Is a move like this enabling drug users? 'If you do struggle with opioids and have an addiction or a dependency, using the Naloxone will make you feel terrible, so in many ways, Naloxone is not a drug that enables drug use,' Dr. Stader said. 'Naloxone enables one thing and one thing only. Naloxone enables survival. It enables a second chance of that person who is struggling to look for recovery, or even if they continue to use drugs, can continue to live.' The vending machines hold up to 75 naloxone kits. The Naloxone Project says they have enough of the kits to make sure everyone who needs a second chance has one. The organization will restock the machines as needed. 'To date, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has secured more than $860 million to the state of Colorado for key efforts such as youth prevention, treatment in underserved areas to rebuild communities and families,' Jamie Feld, Director of Opioid Response for the Colorado Attorney General's Office said, referring to opioid settlement funds. 'We know that it's important that we continue this charge. There's been a 35% decrease in fentanyl overdose deaths since November 2023, and it's because Naloxone has been a key strategy in getting these to the hands of those who need it most.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
28-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Denver gets more naloxone vending machines
People in Denver now have more access to naloxone, the medicine that reverses an opioid overdose. The Denver Police Department and nonprofit The Naloxone Project installed three vending machines that provide the lifesaving drug for free. CBS "It's really as simple as just opening the door, grabbing a kit, and giving someone a second chance at life," said Joshua Jacoves, Program Director at The Naloxone Project. This comes as Denver reports nearly 400 deaths from drug overdose in 2024, which is down about 21% compared to the year before. In 2023, the city saw more than 500 deaths – the majority from opioids. "Working in the ER, I know that every person who arrives after dying from an overdose, opioid overdose, is a death that did not need to happen," Dr. Don Stader, Executive Director of The Naloxone Project, said at a press conference Tuesday. "That's because we have an antidote that is easy to use and that can effectively reverse the effects of fentanyl or an opioid." Now, outside DPD Headquarters, Station 6 and Station 2, anyone can grab a box containing two doses of naloxone, also known as Narcan. "We understand that there are people who have substance misuse challenges, and we are really more concerned about saving people's lives than making arrests," said DPD Chief Ron Thomas when asked about hesitancy by users to go to a police station for naloxone. Since The Naloxone Project began its partnership with DPD about 18 months ago, Jacoves said the nonprofit has provided the department thousands of naloxone kits. First providing officers with the medicine so they could use it when responding to an overdose call, then as "leave behind kits" that officers could leave with people they believed could be at risk of an overdose, and now with the three vending machines. "Our first vending machine is at the Coalition for the Homeless, and we stock that at least twice a week," Jacoves said. "We have a dedicated coordinator and a network of volunteers that make sure that at all times there are kits in these machines." CBS While the nonprofit cannot track use of the kits and how many lives they've potentially saved, Jacoves said at minimum they've given more than 200 people a second chance at life. Still, the nonprofit is often questions if naloxone in free vending machines around the city is enabling drug use. "This is such a common misconception," explained Stader, "but we've done scientific studies, but also common sense, to inform us. Comparing naloxone to something that enables drug use is the same as labeling an AED as something that enables heart attacks, or an EpiPen as something that enables someone to get allergies. Naloxone enables one thing and one thing only, naloxone enables survival." Each dose costs about $25, but its ability to save a life is priceless to Stader. "People often ask that sustainability question -- how are you going to fund this? And I think from a public health perspective, there is nothing more effective than $25 to save a life," he said. "If someone has to be reversed from an overdose 100 times, that is still cheaper than one emergency department visit for an opioid overdose."
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
2 suspects in custody, 2 on the run after shooting with police at Denver's Paco Sánchez Park
DENVER (KDVR) — Denver police are investigating a shooting involving officers at Paco Sánchez Park where two people are in custody and two are still on the run. According to Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas in a press conference on X, officers responded to a report from ShotSpotter at around 10:40 p.m. Monday near 13th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard. ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection system that alerts law enforcement. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox At that scene, officers located shell casings and searched the area for the suspects. Thomas said the search led officers to the nearby Paco Sánchez Park at 1290 Knox Court — Thomas said the park was known as a location where shots had been previously fired. Thomas said four males were found at the park after hours at around 11:40 p.m. Officers attempted to stop and speak to them, but they reportedly fled. Per Thomas, one suspect dropped a handgun and another pulled one out. The suspect who allegedly pulled out a gun was shot by an officer and hit. Thomas said officers rendered aid until medical services arrived. The male was taken to a local hospital where he is currently in stable condition. Thomas did not speak about any other injuries to either the suspects or officers. The suspect who reportedly dropped the handgun was taken into custody. At this time, Thomas said the other two suspects are at large, and he is unsure if they are armed. Former Denver developer shot dead at luxury Belize home in likely 'hit': police Due to the remaining suspects, a shelter-in-place has been issued for the neighborhood surrounding Paco Sánchez Park while police search. It is unclear if these four suspects were the ones involved in the original shots fired call at 13th and Lowell. Thomas said Denver Police Homicide Unit investigators, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Colorado State Patrol have joined the investigation as is protocol following an officer-involved shooting. This is a developing story. FOX31's Jim Hooley is on scene and will provide updates as they are available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
