I called a meeting of the heroin dealers of Hartford at the pavilion in Pope Park. I had no authority to call the meeting since I am neither a heroin dealer nor affiliated with anyone who is.  I just felt like things had hit a critical point where something had to be said.  I admit […]

EMS responders go through more wallets than pickpockets.  Unresponsive person in an alley.  We need to ID them.  Check for a wallet.  Dead person in a hotel.  Got a wallet.  Unresponsive in car.  Check his pockets.  You are looking for the driver’s license, but you can’t help but notice how much cash they are carrying […]

Stroke Care should follow your local medical direction and treatment guidelines.  Here’s how we do it in North Central Connecticut. EMS Role When Emergency Medical Services (EMS) recognizes stroke in the field, and notifies the hospital either by radio patch or transmission, the hospital stroke team can be activated prior to the patient’s arrival. With […]

Many years ago, the R.J Reynolds tobacco company got into trouble with its Joe Camel campaign, which featured a cool cartoon camel in human clothing who like to smoke.  The ad campaign was controversial because it seemed to target kids.  The American Medical Association tried to get the company to shut down Joe Camel after […]

The dispatch is for an unresponsive overdose, likely fatality.  We are coming from a fair distance, but we are the only unit available.  There no updates.  No PD dispatcher asking if we are a medic unit or the message that CPR is in progress.  PD and fire have beaten us to the scene, but as […]

Yesterday the CDC released a fascinating new report, Characteristics of Fentanyl Overdose — Massachusetts, 2014–2016. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the state’s Medical Examiner’s Office and the CDC gathered 20 heroin users from three counties (Barnstable, Bristol, Plymouth) with high fentanyl overdose death rates (Two-thirds of overdose deaths were attributed to fentanyl) and interviewed […]

A new legal strategy is to charge drug dealers with homicide when one of their customers fatally overdoses and it can be proven the customer bought the fatal drug from the dealer. In Rhode Island this week a 25-year-old dealer was convicted of selling $40 worth of “Diesel” to to a 29-year-old customer who died 4 […]

In Connecticut we are in the midst of hospital wars.  It is a very competitive market and all of the hospitals fight to attract patients.  You can see it on the billboards that line Interstates 91 and 84 with hospitals proclaiming themselves the best at heart care, stroke, trauma care or declaring they are the […]

  Upon arrival found a 22 Y/O female unresponsive lying on the floor of her bedroom with her father performing CPR on her. He states that he last saw her alive a hour ago and then found her on the floor unconscious before calling 911. He states she has a history of heroin abuse and there is a used […]

Opiate users who suffer a non-fatal overdose are at the highest risk for having a fatal overdose. Many of these people are hard to reach by traditional substance use and health care professionals.  EMS can make a difference with this population. Whether the patient refuses further care and transport at the scene after being resuscitated […]