Jul 21, 2017Prepared for the Worst
Bridgewater State University recently staged a mock overdose in order to prepare emergency responders — including athletic trainers — for how to deal with actual crises involving overdose victims. The drill included administering naxolone, an overdose antidote.
According to TurnTo10 (Cranston, R.I.), the event had two men playing the roles of overdose victims, thus serving as a demonstration for how emergency medical technicians, first responders, and campus police should respond to the situation. Many of those involved were athletic trainers from Massachusetts schools.
Dan Muse, MD, Physician in the Signature Healthcare Emergency Department and SportSmart Program Director at Brockton Hospital in Brockton, Mass., said athletic trainers were often the best people to deal with these emergencies.
“You want to get the person who’s going to know [the athlete] the best,” Dr. Muse said. “In reality, when you’re talking about the athlete, there is no better resource than the athletic trainer, and the reason for this is they’re going to see the kids when they’re most vulnerable.”
Kimberly Wise, EdD, LAT, Assistant Professor and Athletic Training Clinical Education Coordinator at Bridgewater State, stressed the importance of dealing with these crises.
“I believe that we, as program and as medical facilitators, need to educate our community about the opioid awareness and the epidemic for overdose,” Dr. Wise said.
Kara Hines, MS, LAT, ATC, Athletic Trainer for Braintree (Mass.) High School, said the demonstration was “a real eye-opener” that helped prepare her to deal with overdoses.
“Hopefully, that’s nothing that we do see on our athletic fields,” Hines said.
