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.
Old methods have proven vulnerable to diversion, errors and waste
Dr. Jerry Snow shares xylazine pharmacology, treatment tips and high-dose naloxone implications
Show off your expertise at assessing and treating narcotics overdose
Sackler family members urged governments to sign on to the settlement terms, saying it will fund solutions to the crisis rather than continue “endless litigation”
The state will use the funding to provide families with treatment and prevention resources, while also funding data collection efforts
The county will use one of two grants to allow for a team of four peer recovery specialists to ride with EMS personnel during drug overdose calls
The order functions as statewide prescription enabling all Washington residents and organizations to go to any pharmacy to get naloxone
Firefighters will be carrying two doses of naloxone after the department administered the drug on 223 calls in one year
BFD responded to an average 154,800 EMS calls compared to 34,900 fire calls over the last three years, prompting changes to the how the FD responds to calls
The initiative launches at the end of the month and will provide 24-hour assistance for those seeking to be connected with treatment and recovery options
Heather Locklear faced five counts of battery on an officer, one count of battery on emergency personnel and two counts of resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer
The money will be used to establish a Rural Center of Excellence on Substance Use Disorder to oversee and provide treatment in 47 rural counties across the state
Eric Stanke, 34, was arraigned for charges that include possession of a controlled substance and two counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud
A Leland Fire and Rescue ambulance crew was returning from a call when they stumbled upon the crash and reported it to the police department
Download this free eBook to learn what steps your agency can take to fight the opioid abuse epidemic
Paramedics transported Saoirse Kennedy Hill from the Kennedy compound to the hospital where she was pronounced dead
EMS providers must have a thorough understanding of pain assessment tools and options for acute pain management, especially with the recent focus on opioid abuse
The driver of the ambulance was pinned in the vehicle as a result of the crash and extricated by first responders
Gerard Colvert, 30, was charged with DWI, reckless driving and driving with impaired ability
Matthew Hooker was arrested for stealing two doses of morphine and forging his partner’s signature as a witness
Using data, AMR can position ambulances accordingly and reduce the response time from the moment they get the call to administering Narcan to the patient
The airline will begin carrying naloxone in medical kits after a passenger was found in the bathroom unresponsive
A Delta passenger took to social media to ask the airline to start carrying the overdose drug to prevent this situation from happening again
Attacks on EMS providers by the very people we are trying to help are becoming all too common: Review your safety practices and training
Jon Cinelli came under investigation after officials observed him allegedly violating regulations that required two paramedics to empty the drug drop-off box
Organizations are combating overdoses with outpatient treatment, medication-assisted treatment, and inpatient residential treatment
A case study in opioid overdose complications, management strategies and provider safety
Jackson County EMS’s cardiac arrest and STEMI protocols demonstrate how leadership and front-line crews can come together to save lives
Authorities have not named a suspect at this time and officials said it is not clear how anyone gained access to the narcotics
The Santa Fe County’s new harm-reduction unit aims to provide access to treatment, education and the necessary drugs before they become a statistic
Mahliyah crawled back into the car, where she saw that the younger child’s head was bleeding, and lifted her out of her seat and through the trunk to safety
Jerome Anthony Burke, 52, put up a fight after mistaking one of the EMS personnel for the manager of the store who kicked him out earlier that day
A new Florida law will give paramedics responding to situations deemed as high-risk the ability to carry more than medical supplies
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