Hampshire County

Hampshire County Ems Recruitment & Training for Substance Use Disorders & Co-occurring Mental Health Conditions - the Purpose of This Project Is to Recruit and Train Rural Ems Personnel to Provide Holistic Evidence and Recovery Based, as Well as Trauma Informed Care for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Patients. This Will Provide Resources That Should Lead to Decreased Substance Use Disorders and Seeking Treatment for Under Recognized/treated Mental Health Conditions for Both Patients and Field Personnel. Courses Funded Will Be Offered to All Hampshire County Ems Personnel, Both Paid and Volunteer. It Is Estimated That 100, or More, Health Providers Annually Will Be Educated in Substance Use Disorders, Co-occurring Mental Health Conditions and Physical Wellness Directed Specifically for First Responders and Their Patients. Hampshire County Emergency Service Agency Is a County Government Entity That Provides Ems Coverage for the Residents Within Hampshire County and Surrounding Communities. Home to Approximately 24,000 Residents Spread Across 644 Square Miles of Rural Community, Hcesa Is Responsible for the Coverage of Nearly 3100, 911 Ems Calls Annually. Our Area Is Surrounded by High-volume Drug Trafficking Highways and Locales, Including: Winchester, Va; Cumberland, MD; Martinsburg, WV; and Baltimore, MD. Being Surrounded by These Areas Makes It Easy for Large Amounts of Drugs to Come Into Our Area, Especially Fentanyl and Heroin. This Drastically Increases, and Exacerbates, Other Related Societal Symptoms of Social Poverty. in 2023, According to Hampshire County 911 Center and Hcesa Data, 90% of Those Patients Were Administered Naloxone on Scene, and Later Refused Ems Transport for Ed Evaluation. Between 2020 and 2023 Hampshire County Averaged 16.3 Overdose Deaths Per Year. the First Objective Is to Purchase Fda-approved Medication, Devices for Emergency Reversal of Known or Suspected Opioid Overdose, Education, and Follow Up Referral to Be Distributed to All Overdose Patients Who Refuse Ems Transport During the Project Year. the Current Ems Model Does Not Provide Crisis Intervention Training in Standard Ems Initial or Continuing Education Pertaining to Motivational Interviewing and De-escalation. According to Report Data for Hcesa, Crews Responded to 39 Adult Psychiatric or Suicidal Patients and an Additional 16 Pediatric Totaling 18.7 Percent of Total Pediatric Encounters. for This Objective in the Project Period, 100% of Current Hcesa Ems Providers Will Participate in Training on Mental Health and Substance Disorders in Emergency Situations. This Will Also Address Mental Health Disparities in the Personal Mental Health Care for Rural Ems Providers by Providing Local Access to Training and Equipment Proven to Reduce Stress, Burn Out , PTSD and Substance Use Disorders in First Responders Themselves. the Ems Personnel Deficit Grows to Be an Increasing Challenge With Initiatives to Increase Both Recruitment and Retention of Providers. an Aging and Dwindling Population Amongst the Active Volunteers Within the Local Ems Companies Often Leaves a Shortage of Available Providers Responding to High Volumes of Calls for Service. According to WV Ems Coalition Document, Overall Turnover Among Paramedics and Emts Ranges From 20-30% Annually. the Third Objective Is to Provide Educational Reimbursement to Obtain And/or Maintain Personal Nremt and WV Ems Certification. Funds Will Also Be Used Towards Making Access to Courses More Attainable. Training First Responders in the Techniques Related to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Not Only Assists in Treating the Providers Themselves But Increases Their Ability to Be Effective Clinicians in These Areas for Their Patients in the Community.