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.
Recruitment, the opioid epidemic, climate change and mental health challenges are just as significant for paramedics now as they were in the heat of the campaign
From an airway management wake-up call to the efficacy of naloxone on out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, these studies will be making waves in 2025
“As healthcare professionals, it is not the purview of EMS providers to judge our patients. It is our job to care for them”
An EMS crew had transported Diana M. Corcorran to a hospital after treating her for a suspected overdose
Test your knowledge of intra-axial injuries, central herniation, subarachnoid hemorrhage and more
Personnel from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Office, American Medical Response and other organizations responded
The settlement money will go to developing programs to help fight addiction
The settlement includes an $84 million donation of Narcan to the state of Florida
Austin leaders are considering rule changes after a Texas law approved low-THC products to treat PTSD
The County has set up free vending machines for people exiting jails and sent medical teams out with naloxone on their rounds at encampments
TBI risk factors, managing patient refusals and oxygenation tips for treating head injuries
Each crew will include a firefighter/EMT, a social worker and a police officer
Fentanyl, morphine and ketamine were taken from a Sumner County ambulance and replaced with saline
Patrick Sullivan and Ryan Ferrara were riding a motorcycle without helmets when the fatal crash happened
Renovo Fire Department Chief Jimmy Ray Risley has been arrested
The objections may jeopardize the deal in which Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers will pay states and territories up to $6 billion to settle claims related to opioids
If a judge approves the deal, the Sackler family could be liable for up to $6 billion
Opioid settlement funding will continue for 11 to 18 years, and it is expected that more settlements will be forthcoming. Is your agency getting its share?
The new guidelines would give doctors wide discretion to weigh the benefits of pain relief and improved physical function against the known risks of opioids
State and local governments may put it toward public education, training treatment providers, detox facilities and needle exchanges
With the publication of the proposed changes, a public comment period begins, and experts have mixed responses
The department is evaluating the facilities and consulting with regulators about “appropriate guardrails”
The Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking emphasized the roles of law enforcement and expanded treatment in the future
The Benadryl challenge was trending on TikTok in 2020, and officials are worried the recent overdoses could mean the challenge is becoming popular again
Lexington’s team has added staffers and expanded to include rapid responses to overdose deaths
The Lexington firefighter was rendering aid to a slumped-over driver when the driver woke up, put the SUV in gear and took off
Joshua Cleland faced felony charges after Liberty Firefighter-Paramedic John Beard died of a fentanyl overdose
The paramedics were treated at Saint Barnabas Hospital for pain and swelling to the face and for a bite wound
The measure moves to the Senate; if it is signed into law, exposures that cause injuries could lead to felony charges
The SAMHSA program is intended to address mental and substance use disorders
College students Livia Cox and Nick Wells co-founded Middletown Harm Reduction Initiative, hoping to equip those addicted to opioids with lifesaving tools
Drs. Antevy, Piehl, Spiro, Scheppke, Bernstein and Kupas discuss ketamine and other sedatives, and how to minimize risk when administering
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