The Opioid Epidemic: The EMS Role (Free On-line CME)

 The Connecticut Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) in conjunction with UConn John Dempsey Hospital has just released a free 1 hour on-line EMS CME: The Opioid Overdose Epidemic: The EMS Role.

The auto-narrated program discusses the background of the opioid epidemic, Connecticut death statistics, Connecticut CORE initiative, the science of addiction, the dangers of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, opioid overdose treatment, provider safety, prevention initiatives, data collection, harm reduction, and stamp bag recognition.

It can be accessed here:

The Opioid Overdose Epidemic: The EMS Role

You will just need to create an account with Train Connecticut, which is quick, easy and free.  On completion of the course you will be able to download a CME certificate.

Testing for Fentanyl

 Across the nation harm reduction workers are going out in the street, meeting heroin users face to face and testing their powdered drugs for fentanyl.  They are not afraid because they know that touching fentanyl cannot kill you.  They do take precautions.  They wear nitrile gloves when they dip the tester strip into the powder.  If one red line comes up instead of two, the powder contains fentanyl.

Fentanyl Test Strips

“Be careful,” the harm reduction worker warns the user.  “Put two in the cooker instead of five.”

They take the user's dirty needles and exchange them for clean needles.  If the user doesn’t have Narcan, they give them a kit and the training on how to use it.

“Be safe, brother,” the worker says.

“God bless,” the user answers.

In Hartford, harm reduction workers report most of the bags they test contains fentanyl.

Greater Hartford Harm Reduction Coalition

The latest death statistics out of the Connecticut Medical Examiner’s office confirm this preponderence of fentanyl.

Connecticut Accidental Drug Intoxication Deaths Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

For the first time fentanyl was found in more deaths than heroin.  In first six months of 2017 80% of the accidental drug overdose deaths in Connecticut that contained heroin or fentanyl contained fentanyl, while only 64% contained heroin.  44% contained heroin and fentanyl.  36% contained fentanyl without heroin, and 20% contained heroin with no fentanyl.

 

Chart: P.Canning