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.
In the right patient, with a solid understanding of the pharmacology and a plan to address potential side effects, ketamine can be an incredibly useful tool for EMS
How to navigate the opioid funding landscape to secure resources for opioid abatement, reimbursement and remediation expenses
In EMS there isn’t anything more frustrating than a screaming, punching or spitting person with acute alcohol intoxication
Funds will be used to help recruit new responders and train current providers on how best to respond to the twin crisis of substance misuse and mental health emergencies
The protocol has been adopted by 18 other counties in Michigan amid a spike in overdoses earlier this year
Jeffrey Leedy was found guilty of replacing doses of fentanyl with a saline solution while working for Roanoke County Fire and Rescue
What paramedics needs to know as reports of self-medication for COVID-19 rise
Funds will be used to train first responders on Narcan use and how best to interact with people struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues
The U.S. State Department is offering the reward for information leading to the arrest of “Hong Kong Zaron” for dealing large amounts of fentanyl
A former Jefferson County paramedic was indicted following a criminal probe into the theft of narcotics stored in ambulances
Viral video appears to show a San Diego County Sheriff’s deputy collapsing from a fentanyl overdose
The 2020 death toll estimate is up by about 20K, with fentanyl blamed for more than 60% of overdoses
Without real-time feedback to confirm ventilation rate and volume, a piece of the map is missing
The Health and Human Services Department announced $15 million in funding available for states to create and improve response to mental health- and substance use-related crises
The ambulance on Long Island was transporting a patient when it was struck by a 49-year-old woman in a BMW
The county plans to offer community trainings in CPR, Stop the Bleed and naloxone administration
In this episode of Inside EMS, our co-hosts welcome attorney David C. Holland to talk from a legal perspective about the use of medical marijuana by public safety members
The Springfield Community Crisis Response Team would be comprised of one EMT or nurse and one clinician that would be available 24/7 to respond to non-violent 911 calls
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department reported they responded to 5,050 overdose calls last year, a stark increase from the 4,140 overdose calls in 2019
Video shows the EMT throwing the man to the ground after reportedly being punched by him
Firefighters needed to break the ambulance windshield to free the two American Medical Response EMTs
Sellersburg Volunteer Fire Department installed what is believed to be the first Naloxbox in Clark County, a publicly accessible box that contains naloxone kits
Police said the paramedic was rendering aid to the man after he intentionally struck his head on the partition of a patrol vehicle
The former Buffalo firefighter-EMT says he was fired under an outdated collective bargaining agreement
The court ruled the deputy violated the Fourth Amendment when he seized the vials on “nothing more than a hunch” that they might be illegal
Glastonbury Fire Chief Michael Thurz said the firefighter’s off-duty comment “blemished the organization”
The video shows an off-duty Glastonbury firefighter saying Narcan should not be used and “when people overdose, you let them die”
Deputies said blood began to pour out of the EMT’s nose after he was kicked in the face
“The First Step Program” will offer individuals an opportunity to get help without the fear of arrest or having to worry about a lack of health insurance
Recovery Centers of America officials say the program is the first of its kind in Indiana
Two of the providers were cited for allegedly witnessing the incident and not preventing or reporting it
Authorities say the suspect kicked the EMS provider in the chest and threatened to kill the crew
Officials said the man pointed the gun at the firefighters who had just given him Narcan
