Police departments in Lehigh County will soon be authorized to administer Naloxone.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin announced the new initiative at a Dec. 22, 2014 news conference at the Whitehall Township municipal complex.

Funding for the program will be provided by Capital BlueCross which will allow police departments to purchase Naloxone.

The drug is used to stabilize individuals who have overdosed on drugs and heroin.

Martin stressed the necessity and utility of the drug, citing 46 overdose deaths in Lehigh County through August 2014.

Gary Tennis, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Program, said the program is a positive reflection of Capital BlueCross.

"It's an act of unprecedented compassion for those who are suffering with this disease, and I really want to thank Capital BlueCross," Tennis said. "I think it's really extreme corporate responsibility and compassion."

Martin thanked Capital BlueCross for participating in the program.

"I really can't express enough my appreciation for Capital BlueCross for what you're doing," he said.

Aji Abraham, senior vice president of business development for Capital BlueCross, also spoke favorably of the program.

"At the end of the day, if one life is saved as a result of this program, then it's all been worthwhile," he said.

Tennis said a pilot program involving Naloxone in Quincy, Mass., resulted in the reversal of 169 overdoses.

Martin said local police departments will soon receive training in the administration of the drug. The kits, Martin said, should be distributed sometime in January.

"It really is a nasal mist," he said. "It has no adverse affects and it really does work magically."

The new initiative is the result of Pennsylvania Act 139 which grants doctors the ability to prescribe Naloxone to a third party. The law also allows police and firefighters to administer the drug without the risk of liability.

"We're certainly going to get the information out to the police departments," Martin said.