“He had all the signs of not having a heartbeat or a pulse and he wasn’t breathing,” he said.
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Staff members began CPR and used a defibrillator on the man with no success. They began preparing an on-site Narcan kit when medics arrived, VanZant said.
The man was revived after being administered two doses of Narcan. He was later transported to Springfield Regional Medical Center, he said.
“The man denied any use of opiates or drugs,” VanZant said.
It’s unclear if the man brought drugs into the court or if he was high when he arrived, VanZant said. It’s also unclear how long he was waiting and no one identified as being with him this morning, he said.
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Last fall, the court enacted a new policy to keep Narcan on-site, Judge Eugene Nevius said.
“Given the realities of the world we live in, we wanted to be prepared in case something like this were to happen,” he said.
The bailiffs and staff will continue to stay updated on Narcan training, VanZant said.
“Now that we have an experience under our belt we’ll be ready to proceed if this happens again,” he said.
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