The Role and Impact of EMS in Naloxone Leave-Behind Initiatives
For EMS providers, repeated responses to the same patients or locations for opioid overdoses can be frustrating and emotionally draining, contributing to burnout and compassion fatigue. An EMS-led Naloxone Leave-Behind Initiative gives providers a meaningful way to address the root of the crisis during the initial encounter, rather than repeatedly treating the same emergency without lasting impact. By equipping families, friends, and bystanders with naloxone, EMS can leave knowing they’ve helped reduce the likelihood of another preventable call and potentially saved a life, bringing a sense of purpose and closure to their work.
This small step can have a big impact: it puts life-saving medication directly into the hands of those most likely to be there in the critical first moments of an overdose, helps prevent future fatalities, and opens the door to conversations about recovery and available support. By turning each EMS call into an opportunity for prevention, the initiative strengthens community safety, builds trust, and supports the broader fight against the opioid crisis.
This training video, created by the Emergency Health Services Federation (EHSF), walks EMS providers through compassionate, patient-centered approaches when interacting with individuals after an opioid overdose. It demonstrates how to engage respectfully, offer harm reduction tools—including naloxone—and connect patients or their support network with local resources for treatment and recovery when they are ready. The goal is to help EMS turn each response into an opportunity for prevention, trust-building, and hope.
