Police, paramedics save 44-year-old woman from heroin overdose in Riverside

Riverside police and paramedics saved an unresponsive 44-year-old woman from overdosing on heroin Thursday in the western suburb.

At 9:38 a.m., officers responded to the first Block of Forest avenue for reports of a possible drug overdose victim, according to Riverside police. The woman’s friend was on the scene and officers found syringes but no other drug related items.

The friend found the woman unresponsive in the bathroom and gave her a dose of naloxone, a drug used to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid medications, police said.

Officers gave the woman two more doses of naloxone when they arrived, police said. Paramedics arrived shortly after and administered another dose.

The woman was revived and was taken to MacNeal Hospital for treatment, police said.

“The Narcan used by police personnel on scene was funded by a grant from the Riverside Junior Woman’s charity in 2017,” Police Chief Tom Weitzel said in a statement. “On Thursday, it absolutely worked to save a life.”