03/03/2026
We are honored to feature team members from our local ambulance companies whose skill, compassion, and professionalism strengthen the care we provide together.
"When it comes to buprenorphine- let me be blunt- this is not a medication that we administer often, but to the few that receive it, it makes a world of difference. Buprenorphine helps with severe withdrawal symptoms of patients who overdosed on opioids and received Narcan to reverse the overdose, saving their life. Although Narcan saves lives, it can make the patient intensely sick by causing withdrawal. For those who qualify for bupe, it treats their withdrawal symptoms. One of the biggest reasons we implemented this medication is that it is the missing puzzle piece for helping people start the recovery process. Before bupe, EMS would show up, reverse the OD, but leave the patient sick - in the patient’s eyes compounding the idea that without opiates they will always feel severely sick. Now we offer relief and help show our substance abuse disorder patients that there are different roads of recovery, such as medication assisted therapy, and that recovery is possible!" said Marissa, paramedic from National Ambulance.
“A non-fatal overdose has the same risk of death within 1 year as a non-fatal heart attack. Buprenorphine reduces that risk of death by up to 62%” said Mat Goebel, MD MAS, EMS Medical Director for Mercy Medical Center.
