CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Cooper University Hospital paramedics are the first in the nation to carry an injectable form of a drug that treats opioid overdose.
Cooper EMS was the first in the country to have the oral form of the life-saving medication on its Mobile Intensive Care Unit back in 2019. Now, having the injectable form is a game-changer.
“It comes in a weekly and a monthly form, and it’s just a little subcutaneous injection that forms a crystal,” explained Dr. Gerard Carroll, Cooper EMS medical director. “Once that’s in place, you have a steady dose of this medication to help with your cravings, help with withdrawal, and help you not use illicit opiates.”
That’s the difference — people who receive the buprenorphine injection will now have the space for follow-up care and recovery services. Carroll said many patients who received the life-saving oral version of bupe fall through the cracks before getting treatment.
“What we found at the time was that a significant portion of those patients were only interacting with EMS and they weren’t going to the hospital,” he said. “Even if they were going to the hospital, they were leaving before they could be seen.”
This expanded treatment lowers the barrier to getting opioid-addicted patients into recovery.
“This is just another window where we can take someone who’s very unstable in their drug use, make them feel better in the emergency, and then give them a window for which to follow up where they’re not sick,” added Carroll.
Officials at Cooper hope this campaign becomes a national model for saving lives and intervention.