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Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Linkage to Care
The Minnesota Department of Health partnered with Minnesota’s 8 Emergency Medical Service (EMS) regions to implement linkage to care activities across the state. This partnership is funded through the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program grant by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. When a person is experiencing a drug overdose, 911 is called and EMS is dispatched to the scene. EMS is often the first point of medical care for a person experiencing a drug overdose positioning them as an ideal partner to provide follow-up care to Minnesotans who are living with a substance use disorder. In this postvention model, first responders provide naloxone if opioids were involved or if it is likely that opioid use is present in the home, and connect the individual to recovery focused treatment linkage services. Regional EMS partners work daily to decrease the rates of substance use disorder and drug overdose in Minnesota by increasing access to evidence-based treatment, recovery support, and harm reduction services.
Participating EMS Partners
MDH funds seven of Minnesota’s EMS Regions and one urban health care system to implement this activity at the local level.
The image below shows the location of EMS partners on the Minnesota map.
Regional
1. South Central EMS (South Central Region)
2. Southeast EMS (Southeast Region)
3. North Memorial EMS (Metro Ambulance Service)
4. Greater NW EMS (Northwest Region)
5. West Central EMS (West Central Region)
6. Southwest EMS (Southwest Region)
7. Arrowhead EMS (Northeast Region)
8. Central MN EMS (Central Region)
EMS Linkage to Care Strategies
EMS regions are natural system connectors and already work at the linage intersection between law enforcement, fire, community, and medical systems. EMS regions have approached this implementation in different ways, based on the capacity and resources of their region and EMS system. Some examples of their strategies include:
- Building partnerships with other organizations to provide peer recovery services and behavioral health services.
- Facilitating professional development amongst first responder workforce through education on:
- substance use disorder and opioid use
- trauma-informed care
- adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
- harm-reduction
- stigma
- referral connection to support services
- naloxone training
- Creating training cohorts to equip and expand the peer recovery specialist (PRS) workforce.
- Coordinating crucial referral mechanisms for onsite immediate interactions or active post-discharge follow-up by peer recovery staff.
- Partnering with Law Enforcement and EMS across the state to increase widespread use of ODMap to improve the understanding of overdose “hot spots” in real time.
EMS Linkage to Care Impact on Communities
Based on data from January through June 2021, EMS partners have observed the following results:
- 108 people in need of recovery and harm reduction services received support
- 190 emergency response staff and volunteers were trained
- 18 peer recovery specialists and behavioral health staff were hired
- 6 new peer recovery specialist gained certification
EMS Linkage to Care Challenges
Staffing Capacity
Challenges caused by regional staffing capacity limitations and logistics (i.e., data sharing as mentioned above). In many regions, system partners are overwhelmed by the interest in naloxone and seeing the urgency of increased opioid misuse and overdose.
Data Sharing
Peer recovery specialists are not included in the legal definition of what roles are part of the medical continuum of care. This poses significant barriers to data sharing that would allow for more active follow-up by peer recovery specialists.
Follow-up Contact Information
Many phone numbers for individuals needing follow-up are inactive or disconnected, making that initial first connection challenging.
Culturally Responsiveness
Lack of bilingual recovery providers, no culturally relevant messaging around chemical health, and no clear or accessible resources for undocumented people.
Further Information on EMS Linkage to Care
Contact a prevention staff member at health.drugodprev@state.mn.us.
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