By: Ryan Duey

Photo Courtesy of Canva

In an effort to fight against opioid overdoses across parts of Washington County, Washington EMS has partnered with DCCCA to bring the ‘Leave Behind Program’ to Washington.

Funded through the State Opioid Response grant, this program provides free kits with vital life-saving resources to those in need. Caroline Scoville, AEMT, spoke of the benefits of this Program.

“This program provides resources that we can provide to our patients for folks who may not be aware they exist.”

“Those types of resources are sometimes difficult to come by in small rural communities.”

“This allows us to provide information and resources to our patients and to their family members and friends if they are at risk of opioid use or abuse, or other substance abuse.”

Each kit will include four doses of Naloxone, a CPR face shield, and instructions, along with valuable resources on substance use, mental health, and addiction treatment options. These kits will be available to patients and family members at the conclusion of an overdose response.

Scoville emphasized that these kits can help in all opioid overdose situations.

“Sometimes people hear the word opioid, and they instantly think of the bad things like heroin and fentanyl and things like that.”

“The general public often forgets that opioids do have legitimate medical purposes, and sometimes those medications can still create issues for folks with valid medical needs.”

“We want people to know that Naloxone is beneficial for more than just the stereotypical population.”

This Program is a valuable resource, not only helping to save lives but also providing key resources to the citizens of Washington County.

To learn more about this new Program, visit the City of Washington’s website at www.https://washingtonks.net.