Donald Guthrie Foundation

EMS TRAINING IN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISES IN RURAL NEW YORK - WE PROPOSE A PROGRAM THAT CONSISTS OF EMS TRAINING IN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISES IN RURAL NEW YORK. THIS PROPOSAL FOCUSES ON THE TWO COUNTIES WHICH ARE THE MAIN SERVICE AREAS FOR OUR CORNING HOSPITAL AND ITS EMS SERVICES: STEUBEN COUNTY, THE HOME OF CORNING HOSPITAL AND THE PRIMARY LOCATION OF PATIENTS WITHIN THE SERVICE AREA, AND CHEMUNG COUNTY, WHERE REMAINING PATIENTS STEM FROM. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE: TRAINING FOR EMS STAFF IN TECHNICAL PROCEDURES, SUCH AS NALOXONE AND BUPRENORPHINE ADMINISTRATION; TRAINING FOR EMS STAFF IN POSSIBLE COMPLICATING CO-OCCURRENCES, SUCH AS MENTAL HEALTH CRISES, THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID AND DE-ESCALATION TRAINING; AND PROVIDING EMS STAFF WITH FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD OF ADMINISTRATION OF NALOXONE AND BUPRENORPHINE. (THIS PROGRAM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER PERSONNEL HAVE COMPLETED EDUCATION TRAINING COURSES AND TEST ADMINISTRATION THROUGH COURSES. BUPRENORPHINE ADMINISTRATION IN THE FIELD IS DEPENDENT ON APPROVAL BY NY LEGISLATION.) WE EXPECT TO TRAIN 60 EMT AND BSL PERSONNEL PER YEAR, FOR A TOTAL OF 120 TRAINED BY THE END OF THE PROGRAM. SOME DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE PROGRAM SERVICE AREA ARE CATEGORIZED HERE: POPULATIONS OF 95,796 (STEUBEN) AND 84,254 (CHEMUNG); UNEMPLOYMENT RATES FOR BOTH OF THESE TWO COUNTIES ARE AROUND 5.5%; THE NEW YORK COUNTY HEALTH RANKINGS ARE 37 (STEUBEN) AND 53 (CHEMUNG) (OUT OF 62 TOTAL NY COUNTIES); 6.5% OF RESIDENTS HAVE ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE; THE RACE DISTRIBUTION IS 75% WHITE NON-HISPANIC, 10% BLACK NON-HISPANIC, 7% HISPANIC, AND 8% OTHER; THE PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION IN POVERTY IS 9% FOR WHITE RESIDENTS, 32% FOR BACK RESIDENTS, AND 30% FOR HISPANIC RESIDENTS; 26-28% OF INDIVIDUALS IN BOTH COUNTIES HAVE DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, WE HOPE TO ENABLE EMS PERSONNEL TO PROVIDE MORE EFFECTIVE CARE TO SUBSTANCE USERS IN THE FIELD THROUGH ENSURING ADEQUATE TRAINING IN MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF PATIENT WELLBEING. WE WILL EVALUATE OUR GOALS THROUGH THE FOLLOWING MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES: 1. THROUGH THE FIRST PROJECT, YEAR A MINIMUM OF 30 NEW BLS PERSONNEL WILL BE TRAINED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF EMS STAFF IN THE AREA. 2. THROUGH THE SECOND PROJECT YEAR, AN ADDITIONAL 30 NEW BLS WILL BE TRAINED. 3. IN EACH PROJECT YEAR, WE WILL HOST A HANDS-ON TRAINING EXERCISE DAY FOR AT LEAST 20 EMS PERSONNEL TO SIMULATE A FIELD RESPONSE. THE SCENARIO WILL FOCUS ON SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISES, ENDING WITH EDUCATION AND AWARENESS FOR THESE CONDITIONS. 4. THROUGH THE FIRST PROJECT YEAR, AT LEAST 30 EMS PERSONNEL WILL HAVE BEEN EDUCATED ON OPIOID OVERDOSES AND TRAINED IN THE USE OF NALOXONE AND BUPRENORPHINE. 5. THROUGH THE SECOND PROJECT YEAR, AN ADDITIONAL 30 EMS PERSONNEL WILL BE EDUCATED IN OPIOID OVERDOSES AND TRAINED IN REVERSAL AGENTS. 6. IN EACH PROJECT YEAR, AT LEAST 30 EMS PERSONNEL WILL BE TRAINED IN STRATEGIES TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AND MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS. 7. THROUGHOUT EACH PROJECT YEAR, THE CREDENTIALS OF 30 EMS PERSONNEL WILL BE MAINTAINED THROUGH TRAINING INVOLVING EDUCATION AND SIMULATION PRACTICE. 8. IN EACH PROJECT YEAR, A TOTAL OF 30 UNDUPLICATED EMS PERSONNEL WILL BE TRAINED TO SERVE OR CONTINUE SERVING IN AN EMS AGENCY BY OBTAINING INITIAL CERTIFICATION OR MAINTAINING THEIR CURRENT CERTIFICATION THROUGH CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION CLASSES. THROUGH THESE OBJECTIVES, WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO COVER A WIDE RANGE OF SUD PATIENTS THAT PRESENT TO THE ED OR TO EMS STAFF PRE-HOSPITAL AND ASSIST THEM FOR MANY YEARS TO COME DUE TO INCREASED EMS CAPABILITIES.