Substance Use Disorders
This section provides EMS professionals with resources and training focused on identifying, managing and responding to patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Articles cover recognition of drug and alcohol use in the field, treatment best practices, harm reduction strategies, and the evolving role of EMS in the opioid crisis. Learn how to address provider safety, compassion fatigue and stigma, while improving patient outcomes through evidence-based care and community partnerships.
Community collaboration, harm reduction models and policy changes can ease the burden on EMS workers and improve patient outcomes
Managing high-risk/difficult refusals with the FEARS mnemonic
Day 1 of the Wisconsin EMS Association conference featured sessions on sepsis, electrolyte imbalances, facial trauma and traumatic amputations
While every situation is different, most people are more receptive to a sympathetic approach than an authoritative command
The Hawkins County EMS employee was transported to a hospital
Autumn Gnad told police she drank at least “a case and a half” of box wine before being transported to an alcohol rehab facility
3,213 EMS providers speak up about job satisfaction, effective leadership, safety and innovation in the EMS Trend Survey
Boyd County Sheriff’s Office deputies said that the NetCare employee who had been driving the ambulance kept changing his story
When a paramedic attempted to steady the patient, Antwanisha Jones reportedly grabbed the provider’s throat and refused to let go
In all of 2021, Gadsden County had just 10 overdoses. “It’s shaken the entire community,” said Sheriff Morris Young
The companies blamed doctors and federal agents; county plaintiffs had sought more than $2.5 billion to go toward abatement efforts
The agency’s “Operation Engage” program, which was kickstarted last year, looks to educate the community on overdose symptoms and how to respond
Lifeguards also extricated two women from the crashed vehicle; one woman was transported to a hospital as firefighters worked to remove the car
Candice Mangan has been charged with tampering with a consumer product
How to apply for grant funding for naloxone and opioid-reversal interventions and more
Experts say that when overdoses happen, adults can monitor some kids at home, but those with slowed breathing or other symptoms should be taken to a hospital
“Do you want a headbutt?” EMT Nicholas McGowan asked, according to court documents
East Ridge police said they saw James Robert Bennett assault a man who was overdosing on opioids; Bennett says it was a painful stimuli test
Nicholas McGowan told police he was on his way home after work when he crashed his vehicle
Dispatchers took more than 400 calls for injuries, drinking, vehicle crashes; the injured include a Galveston County Sheriff’s Office deputy
Charges are pending against the suspect, who reportedly shot the 25-year-old EMT in the ambulance
A Stevens County Fire District 7 ambulance was rammed on the road, and District 2 reported the theft of a truck and equipment
Reflecting on the pain of 10 killed in a hate-driven shooting, 100,000 dead of drug overdoses and 1 million lost to COVID-19
The provisional 2021 total marked a 15% increase from the previous record, which was set in 2020
Illicit fentanyl is the biggest driver of the recent rise in U.S. overdose deaths, according to the CDC
The pharmacy chain is the 12th defendant to settle with the state, which will use the funds to address addiction and overdoses
States including Arizona, Nevada, Maine, Maryland, Wisconsin and North Carolina have removed fentanyl test strips from prohibited lists
Our co-hosts dissect Editor-in-Chief Kerri Hatt’s recent article on fentanyl exposure based on her conversation with Simon Taxel, NRP, BA, crew chief and public safety diver with the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS
Learn more about the real consequences of fentanyl misinformation and educate public safety partners
A poll of nearly 600 EMS1 readers found that a stunning majority are in favor of providers being able to use medical marijuana if their state allows
The Ulster Hose Company No. 5 crew was removing a patient from the vehicle when it rolled backward, causing broken bones and facial injuries
Patrick Sullivan pleaded guilty in March to charges related to a motorcycle crash that killed Ryan Ferrara
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