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.
Knowing how xylazine presents clinically, as well as how it impacts overdose management is important for any provider responding to illicit drug overdoses
Albuterol, fentanyl and naloxone injectable are among the drugs being recalled – many of which are in very short supply, with no alternate source available
Before you watch the film inspired on true events learn how cocaine toxicity really presents in humans
Kootenai County EMS Chief Chris Way said the ambulance, which was designed with safety in mind, “did its job” after a drunk driver crashed into it
Greenboro’s GCSTOP prevents repeat overdoses by counseling “persistent users to enter treatment or adopt evidence-based harm-reduction practices”
The National Safety Council found that the odds of dying from an accidental opioid overdose were 1 in 96
Chico police Chief Mike O’Brien said the mass overdose appears to have been largely caused by the dangerous opioid fentanyl
Christopher Hartley was arrested on a child-neglect charge after an 11-month-old ingested his heroin and Xanax pills
Two doctors have had their licenses suspended after working together to sell prescriptions through an insurance company they created
A “Health of the City” report found that overdoses outstripped all other causes of death except for heart disease and cancer in 2017
Huntington Fire Department Chief Jan Rader discusses her community’s unique approach to decreasing opioid overdoses
Attorney General Chris Carr filed a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors for their alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis
Nearly 50,000 drug-exposed infants have been born in California since 2000
Our co-hosts continue their discussion with EMS1 columnist and defense attorney David Givot on the impact medical marijuana has in EMS
Three passengers were being transported by a ride-share driver when they spotted a parked ambulance and asked the driver to pull over
Safe Stations turned all 12 of Providence’s firehouses into safe havens for people seeking treatment for their addictions
Police said a driver sideswiped an ambulance and smashed into a cruiser in the parking lot of an apartment complex where a fire broke out
Our co-hosts discuss the pros and cons of industry personnel using medical marijuana to work through issues of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress
A recent study found that other drugs or treatments may be more helpful for non-cancer pain
Climate change, connectivity, value-based reimbursements will shape the coming year in EMS service and delivery
An estimated 4,500 naloxone kits were distributed across 85 locations, with some locations running out in two hours or less
Colby VanWagoner pleaded guilty to stealing vials of morphine from ambulances and replacing them with watered-down solutions
Indianapolis EMS officials said out of the 63 people transported to the hospital for scooter injuries, 19 of them were intoxicated
James Perry pleaded guilty to driving under the influence while responding to a suspected drowning
Integrate data from EMS, fire and law enforcement to identify trends and community needs across disciplines
A couple with a drug-use history have been charged in the death of their 10-month-old child, who authorities said died after ingesting a derivative of fentanyl
State officials are distributing 5,000 free kits of naloxone to 80 locations during a holiday season that often ushers in a surge in opioid overdoses
A panel of speakers shared their stories with middle and high school students about life-and-death reality of opioid addiction
Michael L. Fostich admitted that he removed vials of morphine and fentanyl from locked safes on ambulances throughout 2016
A report from ESO found that most opioid overdoses are unintentional and involve illicit drugs, and many overdose patients are interested in rehabilitation
The opioid crisis increases the odds that prehospital field providers will encounter NCPE
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she has added the companies to a lawsuit filed last spring against Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, and others
Critics fear a potent new painkiller he worked to get OK’d will worsen epidemic
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