Fire Chief Scott Busenbark and Division Chief of EMS Paul Miller announced Thursday the Crawfordsville Fire Department’s Quick Response Team has been awarded a grant by the Indiana State Department of Health. The grant will provide the team with 100 doses of life saving Nalaxone (Narcan) the only FDA-approved nasal spray for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose. These doses will be distributed to the families and friends of patients experiencing opioid overdoses. Along with the medication, the team of paramedics will provide education about when and how to use the medication as well as offer treatment options to those individuals who do overdose.
CFD is one of the only departments with such a unique QRT in place to aid in the fight against the opioid epidemic. When a 911 call for an overdose is received, a team of specialists (firefighter paramedics, early intervention specialist, police officer and a peer recovery specialist) is dispatched to provide care, coordination and navigation from the scene through the E.R. process. After the incident, another city team comprised of the non-physician paramedic practitioner, early intervention specialist, and peer recovery specialist will follow-up with in-home patient-centered care to assist with treatment and coordination of long-term behavioral health services as needed.
“We realized early on that to effectively make an impact, the solution needed to be a comprehensive and collaborative one,” Busenbark said. “We have assembled the right team who can deliver immediate services, but can also work long-term with the individual to ensure treatment is continued.”
