Submitted by Michele Redeye, EMT, Director of EMS Operations – Seneca EMS
Human beings should strive to make the world a better place than they found it. We hear about it almost daily, the opioid epidemic is here and it isn’t going away. The Seneca Nation is no exception to this and we ask ourselves, what can we do to help? The effects of opioid overdose can be fatal as it can lead to death or brain damage due to the lack of blood flow to the brain. The victim stops breathing during an overdose and can lead to death. An overdose can also lead to an individual becoming brain dead in the process. Due to the fatal effects of opioid abuse, a single person acquiring the skills taught during a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) class would very much make the difference to help save the victims’ lives.
Now think about it, if a single person can affect a life that way, imagine us as a Nation learning these skills and how man lives we could potentially save. When persons abuse opioids through overdose and have no people to monitor them closely, they can quickly die due to the lack of blood flow to the brain and vital organs. Providing life-saving measures taught in CPR classes to the victims of an overdose brain can drastically change the outcome and their entire life. Additionally, since most cases happen in the home, having CPR experts who are friends and family is essential to the quick response necessary once an overdose is identified.
How do I know if a person has overdosed? Who do I call? What do I do? These are all questions that spin quickly through the mind of someone who discovers a victim of overdose. Opioids, such as heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and many others, cause the victim to stop breathing on their own and become unconscious. This in turn can cause a person’s heart to stop if it lasts too long. CPR classes teach skills that include compressions for when the heart stops, and rescue breathing for when a person can no longer breathe themselves. This alone can help to prolong someone until professional help arrives.
If you find a victim of an overdose, call 911! Professional help can arrive and assist the patient but you are there, take a class to help save a life!
Challenge yourself to make a difference, contact Seneca EMS today at 716-532-8550 to participate in the upcoming CPR classes for the community!
