Community paramedics and opioid epidemic

[zzyzx]

Does anyone know of community paramedic programs that are involved in seeing opiate addicts; i.e. visiting patients who have in the past OD, providing them with harm reduction (Narcan), facilitating them going to group meetings or other outpatient appointments, etc.

I'm not sure if I totally believe in CP taking on this role, but I would be interested in hearing about any programs that are involved in this way.

 

[Copinghealthy]

I have not heard of a program like this. But I have been to NA. I think the user generally has to want recovery and seek it themselves in order to be successful. It's not a bad idea though

 

[cprted]

In my area, a lot of that work is done by the street nurses, overdose prevention sites, and by social workers in the Emergency Departments.

 

[Underoath87]

In my area, a lot of that work is done by the street nurses, overdose prevention sites, and by social workers in the Emergency Departments.

Is a street nurse something like a street pharmacist?

 

[DrParasite]

[QUOTE="Copinghealthy, post: 646063, member: 29176"I think the user generally has to want recovery and seek it themselves in order to be successful.[/QUOTE]Bingo!!! if the user doesn't want to get better (or says they don't have a problem), than they won't want help, and it will be a waste of everyone's time.

But if it's an accidental OD, or a first time thing, than I can see doing follow ups, seeing if they are going to meetings or other outpatient stuff (basicly, what a social worker does) be very beneficial.

 

[EpiEMS]

street nurses

What do you mean by "street nurses"? Nurses from the health department, say, that work with the homeless?

i.e. visiting patients who have in the past OD, providing them with harm reduction (Narcan), facilitating them going to group meetings or other outpatient appointments, etc.

Never heard of this...though EMS agencies handing out naloxone is probably not a bad idea for outreach, and I would imagine some are doing this.

 

[zzyzx]

In my research, I have come across a couple of community paramedic programs that have programs specific for helping opiate addicts.
It does make sense since the main purpose of CPs is to visit frequent users of EMS and ER services, and opiate addicts often are such super users.
Also, if you think about it, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to just discharge someone from the ER after they have just survived a near-death OD. Just telling them to go follow up with a rehab or social worker isn't much assurance that they won't OD again. You wouldn't just just send home someone who attempted suicide and tell them to go follow up with a psychiatrist. Rather, you'd admit them to a psyche facility in order to ensure that they would get the treatment they needed.
So far, the programs I've found are too new to give any stats on whether the CP programs have reduced the OD's or ER and ambulance use of the patients that they have seen.

 

[cprted]

What do you mean by "street nurses"? Nurses from the health department, say, that work with the homeless?

That's basically it in a nutshell.

http://www.vch.ca/Locations-Services/result?res_id=707

 

[NPO]

There's a methadone clinic across the street from my station that we respond to for overdoses semi-frequently. Does that count?

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[Carlos Danger]

There's a methadone clinic across the street from my station that we respond to for overdoses semi-frequently. Does that count?

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Are they taking pills or shooting up right before they go to the methadone clinic?

 

[NPO]

Are they taking pills or shooting up right before they go to the methadone clinic?

Sometimes. Sometimes they just go from clinic to clinic getting as much methadone as they can. I've even had one who was turned away, shot up, came back for more methadone then passed out in their lobby.

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