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Suffolk County Police recruit Richard Scriven had just boarded his flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens on Friday, July 21, bound for his sister’s wedding, when a flight attendant came on the loudspeaker asking for trained medical professionals.
Scriven, a former paramedic at Stony Brook University Hospital who recently completed his five-week medical training at the police academy, answered the call, according to Suffolk County Police.
He determined that the man was overdosing on heroin and requested medical supplies from the plane’s crew.
Scriven then provided the man with an intranasal dose of Narcan, which can quickly reverse the effects of an overdose. The man regained consciousness about two minutes later.
He stayed with the man until medics arrived and took the passenger to Jamaica Hospital in Queens.
“Great job Recruit Scriven!” Suffolk County Police said in a Facebook post.
While airlines are not required to carry Narcan, several - including Delta, American Airlines, and United - have voluntarily begun carrying the medication in response to increased opioid overdoses across the country.
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