This article highlights two emergency medical services agencies in North Carolina that have expanded their services to overdose patients beyond the standard practice.
This brief document highlights two North Carolina counties’ emergency medical services (EMS) agencies that have expanded their services to overdose payments. It notes that in addition to responding to and transporting patients during medical emergencies, the ambulance services have developed community paramedic programs to aid patients with substance use disorder (SUD) as well as other chronic conditions. The article also states that one of the most important services that some EMS’s now offer is a medication-assisted treatment (MAT), also known as Bridge to Treatment (Bridge Program), to prevent patients from suffering withdrawal symptoms while awaiting treatment. The EMS agencies highlighted in this document are Stanly County EMS and Onslow County EMS.