Pasco County Fire Rescue Launches Opioid Campaign Emphasizing Alternatives

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — One Tampa Bay area fire rescue will be the first local department to launch a three-prong campaign against the opioid crisis. Their first phase is providing alternatives to opioids for pain treatment. It is part of an effort to give you better options in the ongoing fight against opioid addiction. In just a year span, Pasco County Fire Rescue gave out Narcan, the overdose reversal drug, 1,200 times. That is about three times a day. These include patients who have overdosed or those who took too much medication by mistake. In Pasco County, they are seeing a 10% increase of Narcan use every year. “It’s very sad, it’s very stunning," said Ryan Guynn, a captain paramedic for the agency, "Our sheriff’s offices are running around with Narcan. We’re running around with Narcan now. It’s an issue.” Pasco County Fire Rescue is now taking steps to keep the addiction from happening in the first place. Read more at WFTS.
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News News Videos Patient Care Source Type: news