San Antonio, Texas, Fire Department, Mobile Integrated Health Division: “Harm Reduction,” the New “Fire Prevention”

• NCJ Number: 309086
• Date Published: January 2024
• Length: 2 pages
• Grant Number(s): 15PBJA-21-GK-01074-MUMU
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

This brief by the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) and its partners discusses the San Antonio (TX) Fire Department’s implementation of the Texas Targeted Opioid Response (TTOR) program.

Abstract

This publication by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), along with the Center for Health & Justice at TASC and the International Association of Fire Chiefs, highlights the San Antonio, Texas, Fire Department, Mobile Integrated Health Division’s 2018 implementation of the Texas Targeted Opioid Response (TTOR) program, in collaboration with the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Nursing and Office of the Medical Director. The goal of this program is to work toward stabilizing patients with a history of opioid use in a pre-hospital setting and refer them to a facility to assist with the long-term rehabilitation and recovery. The SAFD MIH team compiles a list of patients to contact within a few days after SAFD Fire or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) administers Narcan for an opioid reversal during an emergency response. The patients who qualify for the TTOR program have a history of having Narcan administered by EMS staff, family, friends, or other first responders. Patients may also qualify for the program if they have been seen at an emergency department for an overdose and are recommended as part of their discharge plan. The MIH TTOR program aims to be the bridge between overdose and the counseling/ recovery center, distribution of Narcan, and education of patients and families. Within a year of operating the TTOR program, the MIH team recognized the need for another viable option to assist patients who wanted counseling and treatment but required more immediate treatment to curb their opioid addiction. Fire and EMS agencies across the country are in a unique position to assist existing community partners with harm reduction strategies.