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EMS Tips

EMS Tips – Opioid Emergency – Do this before next shift bid

1. Opioid public health emergency is nearing expiration

President Trump’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency for the opioid overdose epidemic is about to expire. (Politico.com)

90-day emergency: “President Donald Trump in October promised to “liberate” Americans from the “scourge of addiction,” officially declaring a 90-day public health emergency that would urgently mobilize the federal government to tackle the opioid epidemic.

That declaration runs out on Jan. 23, and beyond drawing more attention to the crisis, virtually nothing of consequence has been done.”

A White House official counters, “the president to use “his bully pulpit to draw further attention to this emergency that he inherited.”

Trump doesn’t understand opioid addiction: My words on the day of the declaration, “Trump seems to be advocating that personal choice is the treatment for addiction and that addicts, like his brother, simply need to try harder. Drug addiction is a brain disease that’s not treatable with an increased dose of willpower.”

“Willpower must be accompanied by medical and mental health interventions.”

Actions and resources speak louder than words: Penn. Governor Wolf Declares Heroin and Opioid Epidemic a Statewide Disaster Emergency and 13 initiatives which include: 

  • Establishes an Opioid Command Center located at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), which will house the Unified Opioid Coordination Group that will meet weekly during the disaster declaration to monitor implementation and progress of the initiatives in the declaration.
  • Enables Emergency Medical Services providers to leave behind naloxone by amending the current Standing Order to include dispensing by first responders, including Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)The existing naloxone standing order and funding for naloxone to first responders has allowed for more than 5,000 lives to be saved so sufferers can be linked to treatment for substance use disorder.

2. Healthcare is largest employment sector in U.S.  (TheAtlantic.com)

This just in … “Americans, as a group, are getting older.”

The aging population is a double whammy for EMS:

First, more patient calls.

Second, a shrinking workforce capable of withstanding the physical effort and strain of EMS.

And that shrinking workforce has virtual unlimited employment opportunities in EMS and other allied health careers.

3. Toot tracker data analysis before your next shift bid

With ingestible pill, you can track fart development in real time on your phone.

“Overall, it took 20 hours to get from one end to the other, spending 4.5 hours in the stomach, 2.5 hours in the small intestine, and 13 hours cruising through the colon.

In that time, the pill took continuous gas measurements, revealing potentially useful information in addition to gut position.”

These analytics could help you get a partner you want or the partner you deserve.

Smell you later.

Toot Tracker

 

By Greg Friese

Greg Friese, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is an author, educator, paramedic, and marathon runner.

Greg was the co-host of the award winning EMSEduCast podcast, the only podcast by and for EMS educators. Greg has written for EMS1.com, JEMS.com, Wilderness Medical Associates, JEMS Magazine, EMSWorld.com and EMS World Magazine, and the NAEMSE Educator Newsletter.