FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) -- Two Jersey Shore prosecutors hope a partnership they have formed with hospitals in their area will help stem the tide of drug overdoses in their counties.

Narcan Kits
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Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni and Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato announced the deal on Wednesday.

Under the agreement, the hospitals will allow law enforcement officers to exchange empty naloxone syringes for ready-to-use new doses of the overdose antidote, which is often sold in the U.S. under the brand name Narcan.

There will be no charge for the exchange. In many cases, authorities say two doses are used in the resuscitation process.

Since April 2014, law enforcement in Monmouth and Ocean counties have responded to nearly 470 opiate-related overdoses, with a slightly better than 90 percent success rate.

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