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.
Reflecting on the pain of 10 killed in a hate-driven shooting, 100,000 dead of drug overdoses and 1 million lost to COVID-19
Our co-hosts dissect Editor-in-Chief Kerri Hatt’s recent article on fentanyl exposure based on her conversation with Simon Taxel, NRP, BA, crew chief and public safety diver with the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS
Learn more about the real consequences of fentanyl misinformation and educate public safety partners
Attorney General Jeff Sessions thinks the U.S. could easily combat the growing opioid crisis by taking over-the-counter medications for pain and “tough it out.”
The Food and Drug Administration said the herbal supplement kratom could be banned by the federal government
Santa Rosa Police Resource Officer Dan Jones said students will often turn themselves in when feeling negative side effects of the drugs
“The problem with the rumors: One, it causes this hysteria. And, two, it makes it difficult for us to get past the stigma,” Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan said
The state, who pays for the $70 kits, will now only hand them out to people most likely to find an overdose victim
Two Charlotte-area counties became the latest local governments to join a massive federal lawsuit against the producers and distributors of opioids
Virtual reality, neural feedback and digital therapy were among five ideas to help solve the U.S. opioid crisis
A report links fentanyl use with a particular form of sudden amnesia that produces distinctive results noted in brain scans
AMR paramedic Tim Hoffman returned to work after being struck by a suspected drunk driver in 2016
Joseph Comstock was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison as part of a plea agreement
Medline Industries developed the fentanyl-resistant gloves for responders to wear when treating overdose patients
Medicaid has begun paying for additional services and treatment options for low-income addicts, including screenings, methadone and naloxone
Departments are scrambling for ways to protect their first responders and identify the powders and pills they encounter on the scenes of overdoses and crimes
The Best Documentary Short Subject nominee follows three women who are fighting the opioid epidemic in Huntington, West Virginia
The proposal bars doctors from prescribing more than an initial five-day supply of pain meds and will help uninsured and underinsured people get addiction treatment
Joshua Weller claims he was retaliated against after standing up for a female colleague, and said his superior abused prescription drugs on duty
DisposeRx turns any form of opioid into a biodegradable gel that is impossible to convert back into a consumable drug
The state’s opioid battle has prompted some lawmakers to endorse the idea of “supervised injection sites” as another way to reduce overdose deaths
Educating patients about alternate forms of pain management could stem the tide of opioid overdoses
They said the crisis is beginning to erode the nation’s workforce and undermine companies’ ability to hire
A study has found a simple way to nudge ER doctors: set the electronic medical records system to default to the recommended 10 opioid pills
The “public safety president” can use the bully pulpit to do much, much more for EMS and other public safety personnel
An NIH study found that alcohol-related visits increased 50 percent from 2006 to 2014, especially among women and middle-aged to older patients
State Sen. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, who works as a paramedic for AMR of Pueblo, said the amount of times naloxone was needed last year is concerning
The three goals under the declaration include improving coordination and data collection, as well as offering better tools to potentially save lives
Officials are pushing to be the first city in the U.S. to have a supervised injection site with a controversial proposal
EMS can be a major player in clinical medicine, operational delivery and healthcare changes, decreasing morbidity and mortality
The legislation is expected to include a limit on the first fill of narcotic drugs and a good Samaritan law allowing bystanders to call 911 for help without fear of arrest
Lawmakers hope that mandating use of the state’s prescription monitoring program will reduce drug abuse in Texas
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