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.
Gaining signals from noise and understanding the trajectory of service delivery
Comparing stress levels and coping mechanisms, from alcohol to exercise and peer support in first responders
St. Charles County Ambulance District has armed medics with screening tools and additional EMS training to get patients to appropriate definitive care
The victim’s mother said Steven Deaton tried to overdose on painkillers because he would “rather die than go to jail”
From 2014 to 2017, the number of opioid-related deaths reported in Maryland more than doubled
Charlie Hagan and Joseph Critelli were arrested after they made a 911 call about the baby’s erratic breathing
The decision, which came down Friday, allows paramedics across the state to administer acetaminophen, Motrin and an IV option of Toradol
Police and paramedics found the boy unresponsive with shallow breathing in a home where several adults with drug history live
The Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area created ODMAP to give responders data they need to treat victims quickly
After showing up naked and covered in mud on a neighbor’s doorstep and telling him he had just killed four people, Orion Krause told officers, “I freed them”
“It’s hard to see something like that. I think it hit everybody,” father Pat Spettel said about seeing his daughter pretend to be a DUI victim
The program will also limit the daily dosage based on their strength; restriction will apply to patients who are new to pain pills
Recent spikes in the Maryland heroin and opioid epidemic have triggered calls for substantial changes in education systems statewide
HHS, CDC commit opioid funding grant money to public health based models for combating the crisis
Overdose deaths rose to 1,631 in Tennessee in 2016, more than double what was seen statewide just five years ago
Public health officials believe opioids reduced life expectancy for people in the U.S. from 2000 to 2014
The lawsuit seeks to limit the availability of the drugs that often lead to addiction
EMS leaders will share their challenges and successes in addressing the opioid crisis during an interactive live discussion
Paramedic Natalie Harris shares her experience with post-traumatic stress, overdose and addiction, stemming from a disturbing call
In 2016, an estimated 11.8 million people misused opioids, including prescription pain relievers and heroin
Initiative aims to save lives, reduce illegal and prescription drug misuse, improve overdose and early interventions to treatment and recovery through education
Federal prosecutors said Joseph Comstock stole morphine and fentanyl for his personal use
A first responder shares his own addiction story and why nobody should fear reaching out or calling 911
State Attorney Dave Aronberg said sober homes are not legally required to notify the shelters when they drop off recovering addicts
Sheriff Orvis Campbell said the quick response team is a collaborative effort of his department and other agencies in the county
The funds will be used to strengthen prevention efforts and better track opioid-related overdoses
“When you look at accidental deaths within the U.S. in the last year, opioid deaths have surpassed car accidents,” Dr. Mark Miedema said
Officials said the number of 911 calls for overdoses has continued to climb even as fewer of those turn out to be fatal
In Yakima County, heroin-related deaths appear to be on the rise; five of the 26 overdose deaths last year involved heroin
A petition asked the FDA to ban opioid pills that would add up to a daily dose of more than 90 milligrams of morphine
Overdose-related ICU admissions in Pennsylvania nearly doubled between 2009 and 2015
A record 4,050 people died of drug overdoses in 2016, with fatalities driven in large part by the emergence of stronger drugs
While in custody, Catherine Burke threw herself on the ground and claimed she was having a seizure
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