The family of 41-year-old Michael Brown, a father of two, didn’t know that he was allergic to bee stings. A year ago, almost to the week, Brown was playing in a golf tournament in Edgartown when he was stung, and suddenly went into anaphylactic shock. First responders were not able to get the young man treatment soon enough.
Following his tragic death, Brown’s wife Megan Brown has launched an initiative to make EpiPens — an injectable device that delivers the drug epinephrine — available in all first responder vehicles on the Island, and to encourage its general availability in local establishments.
Brown also aims to bring the initiative across Massachusetts through the state legislature, in order to prevent others from experiencing the same tragedy.
“While nothing can change the loss of my husband last Oct. 15, we have the power to prevent this tragedy from happening to others in our community,” Brown said.“Police officers are often the first to respond in emergencies, and when seconds matter, it is essential that they have every tool necessary to save lives. Having EpiPens readily available in the hands of our police can mean the difference between life and death in critical situations, and please keep an eye out for the work we are doing in the community with our local legislators, to have wider accessibility to epinephrine across the state.”
As result of a coordinated approach between Brown, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and the Edgartown Police Department, as of this week all marked Edgartown Police cruisers will each be outfitted with two ready-to-use EpiPens, one for children and another for adults.
“I am so grateful to retired Edgartown Police Chief Bruce McNamee, interim Chief Chris Dolby, and Dr. Karen Casper for their unwavering support and dedication,” said Brown. “When I reached out in April with the idea, they listened with open hearts, and acted swiftly to make it a reality.”
Edgartown Police leaders say their officers were more than willing to join the cause.
“The bottom line is the officers agreed to take on the additional responsibility of carrying the pens, and training on how to administer them,” said Edgartown Police Chief Chris Dolby. “I am thankful to the officers for continuing to serve our community the best we can.
“Time is everything, and typically we get to emergencies quicker than any other agencies,” Dolby said.
Officers in the Edgartown department were taught by paramedic Trulayna Rose, and were the first on the Island to take EpiPen training.
“A big thank-you to paramedic Trulayna Rose who provided all the training, even to the night shift — a rough time for a class — for free,” said Chief Dolby.
The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital has been part of the training effort, and creating training protocol. Police can’t just get a bunch of EpiPens and start using them, because it’s an FDA drug, said Dr. Karen Casper, the Island hospital’s emergency department director.
“Anaphylaxis can happen at any time, when you least expect it, so more EpiPens in the community and more people who know how to get them can only be a positive,” Casper said. She has been spearheading the training effort, which initially started under retired Edgartown Police Chief McNamee.
Casper is hopeful that other departments will get involved as well, and possibly others in the community.
“I have had other police departments reach out since, and I’m super-excited about that,” Casper said. “What I would love to see is, if the other departments feel comfortable, to have all fire, police, and more have EpiPens available.
“I would love to train a librarian and have an EpiPen there, but we need to make sure we are comfortable with it in the community,” she added.
Casper explained the idea as similar to the hospital’s experience introducing Narcan to the Island’s police departments. Narcan can counteract an opioid overdose. She said that officers need “pretty robust” training, which requires a checklist of skills and knowledge on who can receive an injection and who should not.
While the initiative started as a way to address general anaphylactic responses around the Island, part of the motivation on the hospital’s end is the increasing cases of alpha-gal syndrome — a tick-borne allergy to mammalian meat and other products. In severe cases, alpha-gal can cause anaphylactic shock. According to the Island hospital, the amount of positive tests for alpha-gal sensitivity has increased dramatically in recent years.
Aside from bee stings or alpha-gal, there are a myriad of allergies that can lead to anaphylactic shock.
“A lot of cases with severe allergic reactions, time is precious,” said Casper. “So often the police department gets to these cases first. There’s also a lot of local volunteers around the island who sometimes are nearby.”
Inspired by the loss of her husband, Megan Brown, alongside a group of community members, is gathering signatures to support new legislation at the State House, in collaboration with local representatives, aimed at expanding access to epinephrine in public spaces. The legislation would allow, but not require, venues like restaurants and parks to stock epinephrine for emergencies, with the hope of preventing similar tragedies.
