I would NOT allow anyone close to me take this job.

[GregV814]

Calvert County Behavioral Health Launches Mobile Crisis Response Team | thebaynet.com | TheBayNet.com | Articles

I don't see the program lasting past the first "unfortunate incident".

 

[GURPS]

National Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist (NCPRSS)

Peer Recovery Support Specialists are individuals who are in recovery from substance use or co-occurring mental health disorders. Their life experiences and recovery allow them to provide recovery support in such way that others can benefit from their experiences.

The purpose of the experiential-based National Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist Credential is to standardize the knowledge and competency of peer support to individuals with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.

 

[Yossarian]

Mobile Crisis Units/ Crisis Response Teams are actually becoming the new model for interactions between people who are seriously mentally ill and law enforcement/ community health services. These type of "visits" are usually coordinated with/accompanied by a plainclothes LEO who has received training in these types of interactions. There is a pretty good HBO documentary called "Dave and Ernie: Crisis Cops" about a similar program in San Antonio, TX.

 

[UglyBear]

A friend went to a session at a local firehouse, and he was plenty impressed with the concept.

This is not some starry-eyed “social studies” 100lbs grad trying to sing Kumbaya to hard-core opiate addicts.

This team includes an experienced and well-paid ER doctor and ER nurse, who have special procedures on how to deal with OD’d people and how to bring them back.

Our normal volunteer fire&EMTs are not trained on how to deal with druggies and crazies, and if this works, it might be a good beginning.

 

[Monello]

Our normal volunteer fire&EMTs are not trained on how to deal with druggies and crazies, and if this works, it might be a good beginning.

I think it's bang for the buck. I grew up riding in cars without seat belts. Belts are inexpensive and test show they can save lives in crashes. So it makes sense. Putting heart defibrillators in cars would also possible save some lives. But the expense of doing that wouldn't be cost effective.

Besides if the government really cared about it's citizens and their physical welfare, it wouldn't let unvetted migrants caught at the border be released in the country to wander around until their cases worked their way through the courts.

 

[Kyle]

If the fearmongers got their way...

 

[NTNG]

A friend went to a session at a local firehouse, and he was plenty impressed with the concept.

This is not some starry-eyed “social studies” 100lbs grad trying to sing Kumbaya to hard-core opiate addicts.

This team includes an experienced and well-paid ER doctor and ER nurse, who have special procedures on how to deal with OD’d people and how to bring them back.

Our normal volunteer fire&EMTs are not trained on how to deal with druggies and crazies, and if this works, it might be a good beginning.

Your last line is somewhat inaccurate. Every Paramedic in St. Mary's county is trained and qualified to administer Naloxone < Narcan> and provide rescue breathing, and perform ACLS < Advanced Cardiac Life Support> measures and therapies. The EMTBs that staff the ambulances are also trained when and how to administer Narcan to a patient who has overdosed on an opiate, and are trained in CPR and operation of the AEDs they carry on the ambulance. Our local Sheriffs Deputies also carry Narcan and AEDs in their police vehicles, since they are often first on the scene. As far as the " crazies" you mention, all your EMS providers both Basic and Advanced receive training on de escalation and conflict avoidance, but is a very basic course. Safety is a priority, and we will leave a scene if a patient presents a physical threat to the providers.

 

[UglyBear]

Your last line is somewhat inaccurate. Every Paramedic in St. Mary's county is trained and qualified to administer Naloxone < Narcan> and provide rescue breathing, and perform ACLS < Advanced Cardiac Life Support> measures and therapies. The EMTBs that staff the ambulances are also trained when and how to administer Narcan to a patient who has overdosed on an opiate, and are trained in CPR and operation of the AEDs they carry on the ambulance. Our local Sheriffs Deputies also carry Narcan and AEDs in their police vehicles, since they are often first on the scene. As far as the " crazies" you mention, all your EMS providers both Basic and Advanced receive training on de escalation and conflict avoidance, but is a very basic course. Safety is a priority, and we will leave a scene if a patient presents a physical threat to the providers.

Yep, I was not accurate. Thank you for explaining the details, and it seems that we both agree — that the training is basic, and in dangerous situations, volunteer EMTs have to leave the scene.
Not their (volunteer) job to deal with a violent opioid addict who, after Narcan, wakes up swinging and spitting, angry that the high is interrupted.

This team has more of a long-term tracking ability, getting to know their “frequent fliers” and trained in helping them get to a long-term treatment option.

If this helps relieve our volunteers and helps the addicts get treatment, Yay!

 

[mdff21]

This has been in place for almost a year now. I guess the health dept. has evaluated it and now decided to make it public information.

 

[LightRoasted]

If I may ...

Your last line is somewhat inaccurate. Every Paramedic in St. Mary's county is trained and qualified to administer Naloxone < Narcan> and provide rescue breathing, and perform ACLS < Advanced Cardiac Life Support> measures and therapies. The EMTBs that staff the ambulances are also trained when and how to administer Narcan to a patient who has overdosed on an opiate, and are trained in CPR and operation of the AEDs they carry on the ambulance. Our local Sheriffs Deputies also carry Narcan and AEDs in their police vehicles, since they are often first on the scene. As far as the " crazies" you mention, all your EMS providers both Basic and Advanced receive training on de escalation and conflict avoidance, but is a very basic course. Safety is a priority, and we will leave a scene if a patient presents a physical threat to the providers.

Some doctors, that prescribe an opiate derivative drug to a patient, will also issue Narcan to that patient as well with instructions on how to use it, and to show their family how to use it if the patient goes oops on themselves. VA doctors issue it as well.

 

[BernieP]

Yep, I was not accurate. Thank you for explaining the details, and it seems that we both agree — that the training is basic, and in dangerous situations, volunteer EMTs have to leave the scene.
Not their (volunteer) job to deal with a violent opioid addict who, after Narcan, wakes up swinging and spitting, angry that the high is interrupted.

This team has more of a long-term tracking ability, getting to know their “frequent fliers” and trained in helping them get to a long-term treatment option.

If this helps relieve our volunteers and helps the addicts get treatment, Yay!

I don't think they instantly become violent, actually the greatest risk is they slip back under depending on how much they used.
Here's the problem with dealing with addicts. They typically have a mental health disorder
Assuming there was a long term facility that would take them, they aren't going to get in until they are detoxed.
That requires several weeks of medical care as they come down and are weened off the drug.
Decent inpatient facilities are hard to find, few and far between in this neck of the woods. Most are private and take only private insurance (not state). Ironically the clinics take state insurance but don't want private. The clinics (the long term care for most addicts) push pills, they take them off one narcotic for another drug. What I have been told about the "other drugs" is they are toxic to the body and cause some long term issues with health. But thank the trial lawyers for some of this, they drove the cost of malpractice insurance sky high. Some Psychiatrists left practice in MD or all together. Some are now more careful about the patients they take, some will not take an addict (because of the high risk they present).
If the addict is 18 or older they have to agree to treatment. LMAO, getting a screwed up addict to go into treatment is not going to be easy.
Being an addict is no different than being an alcoholic. It's a lifetime commitment to staying sober. The treatment is pretty much the same.
The only difference being the addict probably has a longer criminal record for possession. Where as the alcoholic may have been fortunate to get one DUI. Alcohol is legal and therefore the stigma is not as great. Both primarily stem from untreated mental illness. The substance is the only thing that changes.