Local Emergency Medical Services will soon be part of the EMS Leave Behind Naloxone Program. EMS workers will hand out the lifesaving opioid reversal drug for possible future use at non-fatal overdose calls. The program is a partnership between MDHHS and the EMS providers.
St. Clair County is near the top of the list of Michigan counties with the highest rate of fatal opioid overdoses. Overdose deaths leave children without parents and parents without children, and the victims don’t get a chance to try to beat the addiction and turn their lives around. Having the reversal medication on hand could change the outcomes.
Esther Mae Rosner, Program Officer at Vital Strategies, which provides funding for the program, said, “Having naloxone on hand can make the difference between someone living or dying from an overdose. We applaud MDHHS for teaming up with EMS to get this life saving medication to people that need it.”
EMS responses for opioid overdoses have shown a staggering increase since the pandemic began, according to MDHHS. The program is starting out in Macomb, Wayne, Wexford, and St. Clair counties, with plans to expand to sixteen more counties.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
