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.
There is no relationship that has more impact on your mental health than your relationship with your significant other
Using restraints to protect a patient from harming themselves or providers is not new to EMS, but the circumstances are
Honor and support EMTs, paramedics, firefighters and police officers on National First Responders Day by acknowledging the toll trauma can take
P.A.A.R.I. and partners will train commercial fishermen with Narcan kits donated by Adapt Pharma
Thirty-four other states and the District of Columbia have similar laws
A police report said the grandmother is a recovering heroin addict who takes methadone daily
Police began citing people with a misdemeanor charge of inducing panic if responders revive them with naloxone
Assembly Bill 428 would mandate public and charter schools keep at least two doses of naloxone hydrochloride or other emergency opioid medications on site
St. Charles County Ambulance District paramedics have launched several initiatives to help addicts and prevent opioid abuse
Dr. Henri Wetselaar illegally wrote prescriptions for oxycodone and other painkillers that ended up in the hands of drug addicts and dealers
In 2000, 14 children in the U.S. under age 5 died after ingesting opioids; by 2015, that number climbed to 51
The sites would provide medical supervision, overdose-reversal drugs, clean needles and access to treatment
The program will provide free drug disposal pouches to ensure that medications are disposed of properly
The idea surfaced after an addict was found dead in one of the Civic Center library’s restrooms
The survey collected case data and examined the outcomes of attempted opioid-related overdose reversals reported by first responders and community health organizations
The measure would expand the current Involuntary Treatment Act by including heroin and opioid users under “gravely disabled”
The licensed vocational nurses function as EMTs and paramedics in the prison system
The city hit the national spotlight Aug. 15 when 28 people overdosed within four hours
Cleveland typically sees more overdoses on a daily basis than the number of violent crimes combined
The statute allows judges to impose tougher sentences for reckless or impaired drivers who are repeat offenders or who exceed the speed limit by more than 20 mph
The lawsuit claims the companies sold around 40 million doses of hydrocodone and oxycodone to county pharmacies
A dispatcher advised the caller to keep the child’s airway clear until paramedics arrived
Police said Felicia Farruggia demanded her friend inject her with heroin and meth before responders arrived on scene
Jacob Polen said he’s responded to 12 overdose calls over the last year, three of which were fatal
The problem wasn’t being a paramedic, but how I was handling the job and the stress that came with it
Last year, 104 people died from prescription drug overdoses, up from 66 in 2015
The donation will help establish the Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine
EMS providers make home visits within one week of overdoses, provide assistance to addicts and their families and try to link them to services
Christopher Ayer was charged with drunken driving three times prior to last week’s incident
The legislation allows paramedics, with the consent of drivers, to draw blood at police stations instead of emergency rooms
Kansas is one of only three states that don’t allow first responders to carry and administer emergency treatments such as naloxone
Although officers and paramedics saved many lives by administering the anti-overdose drug naloxone in 2016, first responders alone can’t stem the tide
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