The High Ridge Fire Protection District has begun participating in a program called Engaging Patients in Care Coordination, providing lifesaving intervention to those who overdose on opioids.
EPICC is sponsored by the Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis.
“All of our personnel have received specialized training on responding to opioid overdoses through the DOTS (Drug Overdose Trust and Safety) program offered by the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, and we are now carrying naloxone (Narcon) on all of our EMS trucks,” High Ridge Fire Chief Capt. John Barton said.
Naloxone is often used to help a patient quickly recover from an overdose, but Barton said the focus of this program is to provide more help even after a patient is revived.
Responders now may provide overdose patients with kits containing additional resources, like another dose of naloxone, an airway/CPR mask and information about how the person may receive help with their addiction to prevent a future overdose.
“We provide the patient with a phone number they can call, or we can call on their behalf,” Barton said. “They will be connected with a recovery coach who can help them find resources to deal with addiction. The fire district does not collect or distribute the patient’s personal information, and there is no cost to speak to a recovery coach.
“We do not offer or distribute naloxone to individuals in a non-emergency capacity, but we are carrying it on our trucks, along with these resource kits. This gives us an option to not just treat the patient at the time of their overdose but help them beat their addiction and lead a longer, healthier life.”
Barton said firefighters began training for the program three weeks ago and have not had an overdose call since the program’s implementation.
However, with the holiday season upon us, Barton said he knows getting one of those calls is inevitable, and he wants his crews to be prepared.
Barton said he is optimistic about the program after seeing studies showing that 77 percent of those who speak to the recovery coach and agree to treatment are still enrolled in the program after 30 days. In addition, those patients are 66 percent less likely to return to the hospital during the three-month period after starting treatment.
“I believe this is an opportunity for our personnel to not only help members of the community in those instances where they are knocking on death’s door, but to take it a step further and help solve the problem,” Barton said. “I have been optimistic with the numbers we have seen coming from EPICC concerning the number of people who have been entering treatment and staying with the program. I really believe that by having this program in the community, we will be able to save the life of someone who may have overdosed again without this option being available.”