Dec. 28, 2016
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Local hospital welcomes quadruplets
Overdose-reversing drug will be sold over the counter By SARAH CAMPBELL sarah@newnan.com
PHOTOS COURTESY PIEDMONT NEWNAN HOSPITAL
Brandon arrived at 1:41 p.m. Dec. 16 weighing 3 lbs., 1 oz.
By MAGGIE BOWERS maggie@newnan.com One Coweta mother is celebrating a bit early this holiday season with the arrival of not one, but four very special gifts: quadruplets. Three boys and one girl were delivered Dec. 16 at Piedmont Newnan Hospital, making history for the local medical center and making Kortney and Justin Miller the proud parents of five little ones. “We are so excited and blessed to have four healthy babies,” said Kortney following the cesarean section delivery. “We can’t wait to go with them on their journey as they grow and progress.” The Millers conceived the multiples naturally, meaning Kortney became pregnant with quadruplets without the aid of medical fertility drugs. The couple noted that though multiple births have occurred several times within the family’s history, their three sons and daughter are the first set of quadruplets. According to medical professionals at Piedmont, the hospital’s women’s services team was notified of Kortney’s pregnancy at just 16 weeks, one week into the mother-to-be’s second trimester of pregnancy. A team of experts including physicians, obstetricians, neonatologists, nurse practitioners and nurses was gathered in addition to respiratory specialists, the pharmacy, blood bank, radiology and an engineering team. The group, also known as the “Quad Squad” was given weekly updates on Kortney’s progress in order to prepare for the impending birth. The team held weekly meetings and participated in two practice deliveries in the months before the quadruplets arrived. Kortney was not placed on bedrest prior to the birth of the babies. The delivery team and her obstetrician hoped the pregnancy would progress to at least 27 weeks. The team planned to deliver the quadruplets between then and 34 weeks of pregnancy. The Coweta mother-to-be continued a healthy pregnancy and reached 29 weeks before noticing a change, which led her to her obstetrician. Kortney learned that she was in labor and was admitted to Piedmont Newnan where the delivery team was notified immediately. “Things could not have gone better,” said Dr. Adegboyega Aderibigbe, a neonatologist at Piedmont Newnan’s Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). “Everyone knew what to expect and when the day arrived, we had a few hours’ notice and everything went smoothly, thanks to the Quad Squad’s teamwork.” Piedmont Newnan obstetrician, Dr. Heather Turner, delivered the Millers’ son Brentlee in 2013, and planned to deliver the couple’s quadruplets as well. The procedure was scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. The Miller babies were delivered at 1:41 p.m., 1:42 p.m., 1:43 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. Each baby weighed approximately three pounds. Baby Brandon, the largest of the four infants was delivered first, followed by his brothers Braydon and Bryant. The only female, Kenlee, arrived last.
QUADS, page 2
Baby Brayden arrived at 1:42 p.m. Dec. 16 weighing 2 lbs., 9 oz.
Baby Kenlee arrived at 1:45 p.m. Dec. 16 weighing 2 lbs., 8 oz.
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Baby Bryant arrived at 1:43 p.m. Dec. 16 weighing 2 lbs, 7.5 oz.
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A medication that can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose will soon be available without a prescription at Georgia pharmacies. In an effort to reduce deaths from overdoses of heroin and other opioids, including prescription pain medication, Gov. Nathan Deal asked the Georgia Board of Pharmacy to remove naloxone, which is also known by the brand name Narcan, from the state’s dangerous drug list and reclassify it. The governor also directed the Georgia Department of Public Health to issue a standing order which allows the medication to be sold over the counter, by pharmacists, to “eligible persons.” The order defines eligible persons as family members, friends, co-workers and others who might be “in a position to provide assistance to a person experiencing an opioidrelated overdose.” Naloxone is an “opioid antagonist” and can effectively reverse an overdose, though anyone who receives it should still receive follow up medical care, said Assistant Chief Jeff Denney of Coweta Fire Rescue. “The thought of somebody taking something over the counter and thinking that is sufficient is kind of scary. They need to be seen,” said Denney, who oversees emergency medical services for the department. Allowing naloxone to be sold over the counter is the latest in a series of actions designed to stem the tide of overdose deaths in Georgia. In 2014, the “911 Medical Amnesty Law” gave immunity from prosecution of drug-related crimes to people who call 911 or seek other medical help for someone who is having a drug overdose. Someone who has drugs on them or used drugs with a victim is immune if the evidence of the drug crimes was the result of seeking medical assistance. The state also offered immunity from liability for people who administer naloxone to someone having an overdose. Coweta Coroner Richard Hawk said he knows of several cases where a person having an overdose was driven to the hospital and tossed out onto the sidewalk by a companion who then sped away. “They get scared and put them out,” he said. Now, “you can take somebody to the hospital and not have fear of prosecution,” Denney said. “If you’ve got somebody that is in need of lifesaving care, you can take them and be OK.” Hawk said deaths from overdoses have become “very common” in Coweta. Hawk said he will have firm numbers after the end of the year, but that he’s not seeing an increase over last year. In 2015, nationally, overdoses killed more people than car crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were more than 50,000 overdose deaths. The largest number, 17,536, were from prescription painkillers. There were 12,989 heroin overdoses and 9,580 overdoses related to other synthetic opioids including fentanyl. In Coweta, Hawk said that he expects year-end totals of overdose and car crash deaths to be pretty close. Coweta mother Christine Kendall, who lost her son Matthew to an overdose on the day after Thanksgiving in 2015, is excited about the news that the life-saving medication will be more available. “That sounds wonderful. And hopefully people will have it and will use it, and there will be a lot of addicts who will be saved – and hopefully get a second chance at life,” she said. So far in 2016, Coweta EMS has administered naloxone 151 times, said Denney. The Coweta County Fire Department took over EMS services in May of 2015, and from that time until the end of 2015, it was administered 114 times. Paramedics have long carried the medication in their bags, but this year, Coweta law enforcement began carrying it, too. Deputies with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office began carrying naloxone syringes in early 2016. Newnan Police Department officers finished up their
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