Callaway Ambulance District leans into naloxone use

<p>(From the Harm Reduction Coalition)</p>

(From the Harm Reduction Coalition)

The Callaway Ambulance District's board of directors approved an ordinance Tuesday establishing guidelines that may limit opioid overdoses.

The ordinance outlines the requirements for first responders to administer naloxone, also known as Narcan. The district will be responsible for establishing the necessary protocol and providing training for first responder agencies wishing to use naloxone, district Director Charles Anderson said. District officials will provide oversight and review all cases where a qualified first responder administers naloxone.

First-responder agencies wishing to carry and use naloxone will be required to sign a memorandum of understanding with the district.

When receptors in the brain are overwhelmed by an opioid such as heroin or oxycodone, the receptors slow then halt the ability to breathe. Naloxone has a stronger affinity to opioid receptors than commonly misused opioids and, when used, knocks the opioids off the receptors for 30-90 minutes. This allows the person to breathe again, reversing the overdose. In the United States it's classified as a prescription medicine but not a controlled substance.

The district has had preliminary discussions with several first-responder agencies in Callaway County, and there is a definite interest in this program, Anderson said.

"Our next step will be to contact those agencies who expressed interest and begin the process of getting a signed MOU and then providing the required training," he added.

Missouri is the only state in the nation without a statewide prescription drug monitoring program. During the 2017 legislative session, the Missouri Legislature again failed to produce a PDMP bill.

"Many cities and counties have taken it upon themselves to initiate their own PDMPs, but this is just one method to attempt to rein in the rampant abuse of opioids and its devastating consequences in our communities," Anderson said.

Another means of addressing the opioid crisis involves putting naloxone in the hands of first responders, such as police officers and firefighters who are often the first responders on the scene of an opioid overdose.

Qualified first responders must act under the directives and established protocols of the medical director of a local ground ambulance service licensed, according to state law. Qualified first responders must receive training in recognizing and responding to a narcotic or opiate overdose, including the administration of naloxone to a person suffering from an apparent narcotic or opiate-related overdose.

The district's medical director, James Stevermer, has been a champion for this program.

"Once implemented, this program will save lives in our community," he said.

In a separate vote, the board approved purchasing naloxone for first-responder agencies that agree to participate this year.