MU Health Care and the Boone County government are teaming up in their fight against opioids in mid-Missouri.
The Boone County Community Paramedic Program obtained a grant for nearly $500,000 from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which the program will use over four years.
The grant will help train emergency medical workers and expand their roles. The program will provide education and distribution of naloxone, a drug used to reverse effects of an opioid overdose.
The program will be administered at an MU Health Care facility and help residents throughout Boone County.
Though opioid-related deaths have started to slowly decline, Alec Mundle, Boone County Public Health and Human Services Program Coordinator, says the fight is not over.
"We still see a lot of deaths and lose almost four Missourians a day still," Mundle said.
The community paramedics program is only for certified paramedics.
"Paramedics go and stabilize the scene ... but then they are off to the next call," Mundle said. "Community paramedics are designed to go in after and provide the (individual) with a referral to services, community organizations and education to prevent overdoses in the future."
The funding will also help MU Health Care hire three full-time paramedics and one paramedic evaluator to expand the efforts of its center.
