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.
Steve Whitehead tells you everything you need to know to keep yourself safe from accidental fentanyl exposure
Here’s an overview of what naloxone is and how responders are helping curb the opioid epidemic
Cover how to identify drug abuse vs. an opioid overdose, as well as drug administration routes and potential complications
Every second counts in the prehospital environment, so it’s critical that EMS providers stay on top of the latest skills and strategies for saving lives
Some living in the area where the Valor Station is planned to be built have strongly opposed having the substance abuse and PTSD recovery center in the community
Mayor London Breed has proposed $17 million to fund the teams, which will include paramedics and behavioral health experts, for two years
Officials say the Contra Costa County pilot program will be the first to have EMS providers start buprenorphine treatment in the ambulance
Drexel University researchers reported the outcomes of the use of the app in Philadelphia over the course of a year
The widow of Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department Capt. A.J. Isaacs, who died from an overdose last year, says she believes PTSD from his work contributed to his drug use
State officials said the team would conduct outreach to overdose patients and use near-real-time EMS and hospital data to track overdose numbers
St. Petersburg fire union officials voiced concerns about the safety of firefighters and paramedics responding to some calls without police protection
Wilson County EMS will begin rolling out a program to leave behind kits that contain naloxone and materials to help dispose of opioids after overdose calls
Experts say stronger drugs and scarce treatment are leading to a sharp increase in opioid overdoses and deaths in Cook County
Police say an intoxicated man assaulted the EMS providers and broke the window of a squad car
A woman rushed the 12-week-old puppy to the fire station where medics administered naloxone using a pediatric nebulizer mask
Police say the woman became combative with family members who were trying to give her Narcan
Police say the man repeatedly stated that he had HIV during the incident and spat “brownish-red” saliva onto the firefighter-paramedic’s arm
A 60-year-old woman is suspected of driving while intoxicated in the crash that seriously injured Joachim-Plattin Paramedic Erik Bedwell and Capt. Greg Maguire
The driver of another vehicle involved in the crash was arrested on suspicion of DWI
The proposal would create a program to dispatch medics and crisis workers to mental health calls
Paramedic Nicholas Hennink, who was named Canada’s 2020 Paramedic of the Year, opened up about his struggle with PTSD and addiction
The woman is also accused of DUI and animal cruelty after crashing her vehicle and chasing people while holding a small dog
Cleveland EMS responded to the scene early Tuesday morning where a “large amount” of fireworks had been set off
Colorado’s public health department is conducting an investigation on the use of ketamine to sedate a man during a police altercation
The alcohol-involved crash caused the ambulance to overturn, pinning the medic for more than 40 minutes
The $225,000 grant will help establish teams of first responders and community advocates with the goal of preventing repeat overdoses
Police said they witnessed Paramedic Bob Bennett kick and punch the patient
The pilot program will dispatch new mobile teams to help those having a mental health crisis or substance abuse problems
First responders pulled the man off the rig after an hours-long standoff
The man is also accused of ramming his car into a smoke shop earlier to steal the nitrous oxide cartridges
The vehicles were helping block the road during a protest outside Austin Police Department headquarters
The Suwannee County Fire Rescue paramedic has been charged with controlled substance possession and grand theft
Studies from the SARS outbreak in 2003 reveal first responders may be more at risk for PTS due to quarantine and stigmatization
