DISASTR-OUTREACH-LIB: Librarians respond to the opioid crisis

From the DISASTR-OUTREACH-LIB email list: “Long viewed as guardians of safe spaces for children, library staff members have begun taking on the role of first responder in drug overdoses,” CNN reported last week (“The opioid epidemic is so bad that librarians are learning how to treat overdoses,” by Darran Simon, June 23, 2017).  American Libraries also recently reported on the same issue (“Saving lives in the stacks: how libraries are handling the opioid crisis,” by Anne Ford, June 21, 2017). Though the severity of the current crisis is shocking, it is not surprising to find public librarians supporting the needs of their communities. The National Library of Medicine has compiled resources to assist librarians and other first responders to ensure that they understand the complex legal and medical issues this crisis presents: Searching the Disaster Lit® database for ‘opioid’ retrieves guidelines, training material, reports, fact sheets, conference proceedings, and congressional testimony. A report by the RWJF Network for Public Health Law describes overdose Good Samaritan laws in each state, as well as state laws about access to naloxone, the drug used to treat overdose victims. The Department of Justice developed a briefing guide for first responders about fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic. The high potency of opioids such as fentanyl has put responders at increased risk; e.g., a police officer in Ohio overdosed after brushing f...
Source: MCR News - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: All Members Community College/Academic Libraries Health Sciences Public Libraries Source Type: news