Five nurses, 15 correctional officers and an inmate at the Ross Correctional Institution in Ohio required medical attention after experiencing overdose symptoms due to exposure to an unknown substance.
The Ohio Highway Patrol (OHP) was notified that people were sick and passing out at the prison at around 9 am, with officers and medics heading to the facility, Chillicothe Gazette reported.
Those affected were given a special medication, used to quickly reverse opioid overdoses, called ‘naloxone.’ OHP spokesman Lt. Robert Sellers said that Ross Correctional Institution was secured, but added that one housing unit at the prison will be evacuated due to the incident.
Despite Sellers saying that there was no danger to the public, several roads were blocked in the area and a school, located near the prison, went on a precautionary lockdown.
The spokesman said it was too early to speculate if the substance digested by those in the prison was fentanyl or any other potent opiate.
Sellers didn’t disclose any details of the incident, but said that a hazardous materials team was involved in the clean-up operation that followed.
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Ross Correctional Institution (RCI) is a state prison for men located in Chillicothe, Ohio. It was opened in 1987 and currently hosts more than 2,000 inmates.
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