By EMS1 Staff
BOCA RATON, Fla. — An encore presentation of Pinnacle’s presentation on addressing the opioid crisis will be shown in webinar form.
In August, the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum gave a special session about confronting the opioid crisis as an EMS provider. The panel of EMS leaders all agreed that EMS has a role to play beyond responding to an opioid overdose and administering naloxone.
“We are at ground zero for the opiate overdose epidemic. We are all suffering. Our overdoses have increased 50 percent in the last two years,” St. Charles (Mo.) County Ambulance District member Dave Lewis said.
The panel shared the data-driven efforts their agencies have made.
“The most productive partnerships and programs are centered around data. Facts and information can guide decisions,” ProEMS member Jamie Pianka.
Based on the interest in the topic and the response to the special session at Pinnacle, a webinar based on the session will be held on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. ET. EMS leaders will have an interactive live discussion and will be able to share their insight on the opioid crisis. The panel will include Rob Lawrence (Richmond Ambulance Authority, Va.), Jamie Pianka (ProEMS, Cambridge, Mass.), Dave Lewis (St. Charles County, Mo.) and Jon Kelley (Trinity EMS, N.H.).
To register for the webinar, click here.