LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) are collaborating with emergency medical services (EMS) providers to offer veteran-centric resources within the EMS Leave Behind Naloxone Program.
The collaboration is in honor of Military Appreciation Month.
The EMS Leave Behind Naloxone Program provides EMS providers with naloxone, an opioid reversal drug, to leave behind with the patient, family and friends or bystanders at the scene of a non-fatal overdose.
As part of the new collaboration, the kits will also include information on veteran-centric resources to help veterans.
According to MDHHS, the more connected veterans are to services, the lower their risk for self-harm including suicide or opioid overdose.
EMS providers can play a central role in removing barriers to accessing naloxone and increasing awareness of available veteran-centric resources by providing it directly to those present at the scene of an overdose.
“EMS providers are on the front lines every day witnessing the effects the opioid crisis has on Michiganders, and veterans and their families are not immune,” said MVAA Director Zaneta Adams. “We know our veteran population is affected by opioid overdoses and often lack the support they need to protect themselves and their loved ones. This partnership gets naloxone and other veteran-centric resources directly into the homes of those veterans who need it most.”
