NHTSA Office of EMS seeks comment on opioid report

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Emergency Medical Services is seeking feedback from the EMS community on a draft of a national roadmap to addressing the opioid crisis.

The draft report, titled “Health Research and Development to Stem the Opioid Crisis: A National Roadmap,” was produced by a Fast Track Action Committee that was convened by the White House National Science and Technology Council. The committee’s goals were to identify key gaps in knowledge and tools, as well as opportunities to better coordinate federal research and development of efforts to fight the opioid crisis.

A story published by the Journal of Emergency Medical Services notes that the report mentions EMS in two areas:

• Naloxone administrations obtained from EMS patient care records potentially serving “as a useful proxy for overdose surveillance in individual communities”
• Enhancing access to care through innovative strategies, including “novel peer engagement mechanisms or treatment settings,” with fire stations among the listed venues

The NHTSA Office of EMS was among the agencies to offer input on the report, which includes recommendations for research and development efforts to address the opioid crisis, several of which could involve EMS systems, clinicians and data.

Responses to the request for public comment on the draft report should be submitted to OpioidsRoadmap@ostp.eop.gov by Dec. 5.

Addiction Professional is a sister brand of the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit as well as EMS World.