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.
Many EMS systems are evaluating ways to mitigate the risks of refusal in post naloxone patients
Evidence-based naloxone administration recommendations to minimize risk of COVID-19 exposure and alleviate provider fear
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
The commission, led by Chris Christie, was created in March and charged with studying ways to combat and treat drug abuse, addiction and the opioid crisis
Police said city firefighters and ambulance personnel administered naloxone
Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said he thinks firefighters need standards and protocols to follow when they handle overdoses that may involve highly toxic substances
Davis told Fayetteville police officers that he used narcotics before he lost consciousness in his vehicle, which was parked at a Walgreens
Across Ohio, prescriptions for opioids decreased by at least 10 percent in all but 13 of 88 counties
The Cook County Jail has trained about 900 inmates how to use naloxone and has distributed 400 of them to at-risk men and women as they got out
The driver was given naloxone and transported to a hospital; she will be arrested on charges of felony bail jumping
Lisa Cassidy was named Paramedic of the Year due to her efforts in helping opioid addicts get treatment with the #StopHeroin campaign
Officers said Eric Roman was unconscious in the driver’s seat while his 7-year-old daughter sat on his lap to try and steer the car to safety
The infant was unresponsive, and preliminary reports from toxicology tests show that he had methamphetamine and fentanyl in his system
For opioid toxicity to occur the drug must enter the blood and brain from the environment
Police said the child was with a babysitter at the time of the incident
A free Buprenorphine Waiver Training will be hosted in partnership with local agencies and providers
Earlier this month, the Houston Police Department said they would stop performing roadside tests of substances believed to be illicit drugs
Next month, the Portland City Council will be briefed by the city attorney and discuss a potential lawsuit against companies that produce and distribute opioids
Lori A. Conley, 44, could get 17 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and tampering with evidence in the death of Haddix Mulkey
Several community events have been held this year to put the focus on the opioid addiction issue in the region and to discuss recovery solutions
St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders called the scene “horrific and surreal”
Authorities said the doctor wrote unnecessary prescriptions that contributed to the overdose deaths of at least seven people
The legislation will help officials target physicians who might be illicitly prescribing powerful prescription medications
Jeanette Trella said symptoms exhibited by the four responders weren’t the sort typically seen in an opioid exposure
Assistant State Attorney Alan Johnson “suggested that they have a cut off” for patients who overdose multiple times
“It is the youngest suspected OD we’ve had in the city ever,” Christopher Hickey of Manchester Fire Department said
James Whitham said he was being treated for gastrointestinal pain, but was given a form of fentanyl only approved for cancer patients
“If you keep dealing heroin in Elkhart County, you should expect that you are going to get caught,” prosecutor Vicki Becker said
Jeremy English said he was driving when he saw a car pulled over with four overdose victims inside
Crews were responding to a cardiac arrest call when the incident occurred
“Cities like ours are now frantically searching for answers for our own population” Mayor Cary Glickstein said
EMS1 looked at Google Trends data to discover which opioids are most often researched.
The case has underscored how frighteningly prevalent fentanyl has become and how potent it is
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