Resources

This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration toolkit includes opioid use disorder facts, five essential steps for first responders, information for prescribers, safety advice for patients and family members, and information on recovering from an opioid overdose.

This Centers for Disease Control Web page provides an overview of the rise of overdoses, emergency department visits, a summary of what stakeholders can do to address it, and related resources.

The Naloxone Plus framework can help  “save a life twice”—first, by reviving someone who has overdosed and second, by connecting him or her to treatment ... and the hope of preventing another overdose.

This webinar will introduce nontraditional responses to overdoses with a focus on the use of Peer Support Specialists—individuals with lived experience who are themselves in recovery. Peer Support Specialists engage with survivors soon after their overdoses and remain an important resource to the individuals in navigating life in their communities, including facilitating access to treatment and other services.

This webinar examines the causes of first responder burnout, with consideration given to stresses arising from response to the opioid epidemic.  Discussion topics include methods to identify burnout in first responders or their partners, the impact of responding to a public health problem that is chronic in nature, and stress that arises from responding to calls involving critical incidents/accidents.  The session concludes with recommendations to help first responders recognize and manage stress more effectively.

This report contains recommendations from public safety and public health experts for standards of care that police departments can take themselves, as well as expectations for their partners.

This report examines five types of public safety-led linkage to care programs (pre-arrest diversion, post-overdose outreach, drug courts, post-release aftercare, and safe station) that can be used as a guide to inform program planning, implementation, and evaluation.

This webinar also explores what can be done to help mitigate the impact and negative effects of these experiences through education, resources, and support. The webinar's presenter provides an overview of the course "Vicarious Trauma for First Responders," which gives an in-depth look at trauma and its impact on firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel or paramedics, disaster response workers, and law enforcement officers. The link to the course is included for webinar participants. Participants learn how first responders are affected by the trauma they witness or experience through their work and how the opioid epidemic exacerbates the problem; and some of the steps that state and local systems—as well as agencies and organizations—can take to help mitigate the impact of this trauma on individuals, organizations, and communities. 

A PDF version of the slide deck from this webinar is also available.

Public health systems are commonly defined as “all public, private, and voluntary entities that contribute to the delivery of essential public health services within a jurisdiction.” The ten essential public health services are the public health activities that all communities should undertake, per the Core Public Health Functions Steering Committee.

The Sequential Intercept Model was developed as a conceptual model to inform community-based responses to the involvement of people with mental and substance use disorders in the criminal justice system. Since its development, the use of the SIM as a strategic planning tool has grown tremendously.

The opioid epidemic is the most significant issue facing police chiefs and sheriffs in many parts of the United States. Police agencies and sheriff’s departments, working with public health agencies and others, described dozens of programs they have undertaken to reduce opioid deaths. This report is intended to help law enforcement agencies plan their responses—particularly in locations where the opioid crisis is just beginning to manifest itself.

First responder diversion programs for individuals with an opioid use disorder are rapidly increasing around the country.  These innovative programs play a critical role in linking individuals who are at risk for opioid overdose to community-based treatment services.  While similar in nature to crisis intervention services offered by first responders, these diversion programs are placing responsibilities on staff that may require new knowledge, skills, and abilities. This webinar discusses the need for first responder training specific to diversion programs for individuals with an opioid and substance use disorder.  The webinar provides potential topics that could be included in diversion training and methods for providing it.  Panelists from the Tucson, Arizona, Police Department and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, will discuss the training they have in place for their first responder diversion programs.  To view a PDF version of the slide deck from this webinar, click here.

 

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H., released this public health advisory to urge more Americans to carry a potentially lifesaving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The medication, naloxone, is already carried by many first responders, such as emergency medical technicians and police officers.