First-responder

Naloxone leave behind programs are a popular public health intervention for combatting the opioid epidemic. These programs are designed for first responders to educate and equip high risk, nonmedical individuals to respond to opioid overdose scenarios. However, stigma and misconceptions regarding naloxone remain common among medical providers, including emergency medical services (EMS) members.

Drug overdose is a nationwide epidemic that claimed the lives of over 100,000 people in the United States in the past year.   Opioids, either alone or in combination with other drugs or alcohol, were responsible for approximately 70 percent of these deaths. Many of those 70,000 people would be alive today if they had been administered the opioid antagonist naloxone and, where needed, other emergency care. 

Summary of innovation abstracts that were presented at the National Academy of Medicine’s recent Stigma of Addiction Summit.

The PMHC Toolkit provides resources for law enforcement agencies to partner with service providers, advocates, and individuals with mental illness and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The goal of these partnerships is to ensure the safety of all, to respond effectively, and to improve access to services and supports for people with mental illness and I/DD.

The Post-Overdose Response (PORT) Toolkit was developed as a resource for North Carolina communities who are interested in creating a post-overdose response team (PORT) in their jurisdiction.

The American Medical Association’s Opioid Task Force report shows a dramatic increase in fatalities involving illicit opioids, stimulants (e.g. methamphetamine), heroin and cocaine and a similarly dramatic drop in the use of prescription opioids.

We know from RCORP grantees, first responders, hospitals, people who use drugs, the media and other allies that many communities are seeing spikes in overdose (OD) events and deaths since the onset of COVID-19. Sometimes these deaths come at alarming levels because of stretched public health infrastructure and the time it takes to turn around data. The webinar took place on May 26, 2020.

This RSV Breakout Session was held in the Treasury Room on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, at 4:15 PM

With opioid deaths on the rise and fentanyl deaths rapidly increasing, a crisis of this magnitude requires innovative responses at multiple intervention points, including post-overdose, as part of a comprehensive strategy to aid in the treatment of and recovery from opioid use disorders. This article explores law enforcement overdose reversal and post-resuscitation and treatment responses in the newly emerging field of pre-arrest diversion.

This document provides scientific, evidence-based recommendations to protect yourself from exposure.