In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life
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0:01 - 0:05For the past 24 years,
I have been a firefighter -
0:05 - 0:07in Huntington, West Virginia.
-
0:08 - 0:13As firefighters, my team and I
are tasked with saving lives -
0:14 - 0:15and property
-
0:15 - 0:21from such disasters
as car wrecks, house fires -
0:21 - 0:24and also life-threatening
medical emergencies. -
0:26 - 0:30I am a woman leading a department
in a male-dominated profession. -
0:30 - 0:32And 10 years ago,
-
0:32 - 0:37I decided to increase my medical knowledge
and I received a nursing degree. -
0:38 - 0:40That was because it became clear
-
0:40 - 0:44that the next big threat
facing not only my city, -
0:44 - 0:46but other cities around the country,
-
0:46 - 0:48was not the one-and-done disaster,
-
0:48 - 0:52where you can ride in
like the cavalry, as a firefighter, -
0:53 - 0:57put out the fire and leave,
feeling like you have made a difference -
0:57 - 0:58and everything is OK.
-
0:59 - 1:05The next big disaster in my city
was and is the long, debilitating -
1:05 - 1:09and lethal disaster
known as opioid addiction. -
1:10 - 1:12We now call this a health epidemic,
-
1:12 - 1:17and we have replaced the name "addiction"
with "substance use disorder." -
1:18 - 1:19To give you some perspective
-
1:19 - 1:23of how significant
this epidemic has become, -
1:23 - 1:29in 2017, in my county of 95,000 people,
-
1:29 - 1:33we saw 1,831 overdoses
-
1:34 - 1:38[and] 183 deaths from overdose.
-
1:39 - 1:44This is the job of my firefighters,
as well as other agencies, -
1:44 - 1:45to respond to that.
-
1:46 - 1:47(Coughs)
-
1:47 - 1:49Excuse me.
-
1:50 - 1:56So, watching this epidemic
unfold for several years, -
1:56 - 1:57I developed some insight.
-
1:58 - 2:03For this disaster, we need to redefine
our job as a first responder. -
2:04 - 2:06We need to be more than just the cavalry.
-
2:06 - 2:09We need to do more than just save a life.
-
2:09 - 2:13We need to find ways to rebuild that life.
-
2:14 - 2:16And it's going to take
a lot of people to do that. -
2:17 - 2:19And that is exactly
what we are trying to do -
2:19 - 2:21in Huntington, West Virginia.
-
2:22 - 2:26Now, let me give you some insight
as to what we do. -
2:27 - 2:31First, this is what happens
when somebody overdoses. -
2:32 - 2:38Imagine you are somebody who is suffering
from the brain disorder of addiction. -
2:39 - 2:40You are fragile.
-
2:40 - 2:42You're embarrassed, you're ashamed.
-
2:44 - 2:46And you overdose.
-
2:47 - 2:50Maybe a friend
or a family member calls 911. -
2:51 - 2:53And then all of a sudden,
-
2:53 - 2:59you are awakened by five or six
total strangers in uniform. -
2:59 - 3:01And they're rubbing your sternum,
-
3:01 - 3:03and they're saying, "Wake up, wake up!
-
3:03 - 3:05You overdosed, you could've died."
-
3:06 - 3:08Now, would you not be defensive and angry?
-
3:09 - 3:10Because I know I would be.
-
3:11 - 3:12And on top of that,
-
3:12 - 3:15those strangers gave you
a dose of naloxone, -
3:15 - 3:17which has sent you into withdrawals,
-
3:18 - 3:20or what is better known
as "dope sickness." -
3:22 - 3:25Dope sickness makes you feel
absolutely horrible. -
3:25 - 3:28Some say it's like the flu, times ten.
-
3:29 - 3:33Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches.
-
3:33 - 3:39So not only did we,
as strangers, wake you up, -
3:39 - 3:42but we also made you feel really sick.
-
3:42 - 3:47So in turn, you, the patient,
are not going to be very kind to us. -
3:47 - 3:51And you're going to refuse
further medical treatment. -
3:52 - 3:56OK, well, then that's going to frustrate
the heck out of us, -
3:56 - 3:57and we're going to be mad,
-
3:57 - 4:01because you're ungrateful
that we just saved your life. -
4:02 - 4:07This is not a good dynamic here.
-
4:10 - 4:13What we are dealing with
is a brain disorder -
4:14 - 4:16that changes your thinking.
-
4:16 - 4:19It convinces you
that you don't have a problem. -
4:19 - 4:25So, this might have been not only
the first time you've overdosed, -
4:25 - 4:28it might have been the third,
fourth or fifth time -
4:29 - 4:31that we, personally, have revived you.
-
4:34 - 4:36This is not a good situation.
-
4:37 - 4:38Second,
-
4:39 - 4:43first responders do not receive
much education -
4:43 - 4:45on what substance use disorder is.
-
4:46 - 4:48Neither does the medical community.
-
4:48 - 4:54We're not trained how to deal with those
suffering from substance use disorder. -
4:55 - 4:59I am trained to put out
many different types of fires. -
4:59 - 5:02I am trained to save a life in the moment.
-
5:02 - 5:05But I am not trained to deal
with the intricate interaction -
5:05 - 5:08between first responders,
the health care community, -
5:08 - 5:09social services
-
5:10 - 5:14and the wider community that is necessary
to save a life long-term. -
5:16 - 5:17Thirdly,
-
5:18 - 5:20and this hits home.
-
5:21 - 5:25As a first responder,
I consider myself the cavalry. -
5:25 - 5:28We're knights in shining armor.
-
5:28 - 5:32We want to swoop in, do our job
and leave feeling satisfied -
5:33 - 5:35that we've made a difference
in somebody's life. -
5:35 - 5:37But that just doesn't happen
-
5:37 - 5:41when we're dealing with somebody
with substance use disorder. -
5:42 - 5:45We leave feeling frustrated and useless.
-
5:46 - 5:48We deal with the same people
over and over again, -
5:48 - 5:50with no positive outcome.
-
5:51 - 5:53And you know what?
-
5:53 - 5:57At some point, I realized
that it is up to us as first responders -
5:57 - 5:59and as a community
-
5:59 - 6:00to solve this problem,
-
6:01 - 6:04to find better ways to deal
with those that are suffering. -
6:05 - 6:12So what I did is I started
observing more on overdoses. -
6:12 - 6:15I started talking
and listening to my patients. -
6:16 - 6:20I wanted to know
what led them to where they are. -
6:20 - 6:23What exactly are they experiencing?
-
6:23 - 6:26What makes their situation worse?
-
6:26 - 6:28What makes their situation better?
-
6:28 - 6:31I began experimenting with my words
-
6:31 - 6:34and paying attention to my own actions
-
6:34 - 6:37and how it affected those of my patients.
-
6:38 - 6:41The education that I have received
-
6:41 - 6:46and continue to receive
on a street level in Huntington -
6:46 - 6:49has been both eye-opening
and life-changing for me. -
6:51 - 6:56So, in Huntington, West Virginia,
we have come together as a community, -
6:56 - 6:59and we are changing the way that we treat
-
6:59 - 7:02those that suffer
from this horrible disease. -
7:04 - 7:08We have started many programs,
and it's making a difference. -
7:09 - 7:12I'll tell you about just a few of those.
-
7:12 - 7:16Last year, we started
a Quick Response Team, -
7:17 - 7:19QRT for short.
-
7:20 - 7:22The team consists of a paramedic,
-
7:23 - 7:24a police officer,
-
7:24 - 7:29somebody in the recovery community
and somebody in the faith community. -
7:30 - 7:33As a team, they go out
and visit people who have overdosed -
7:33 - 7:36within 72 hours of that resuscitation.
-
7:36 - 7:38They talk.
-
7:38 - 7:39They listen.
-
7:39 - 7:41They build a rapport with that patient,
-
7:41 - 7:43and they offer them treatment options.
-
7:48 - 7:53Right now, about 30 percent
or up to 30 percent -
7:53 - 7:57of those that the Quick Response Team
have reached out to -
7:57 - 7:59have accepted some form of help.
-
8:00 - 8:03And the wonderful thing about this
-
8:03 - 8:06is the first responders
who are involved in this team, -
8:06 - 8:10they actually feel
like they can make a difference. -
8:10 - 8:13Positive change where there wasn't any.
-
8:15 - 8:16This year --
-
8:16 - 8:21(Applause)
-
8:21 - 8:27This year, we opened a free-standing
specialty clinic, called PROACT, -
8:27 - 8:31for those suffering
from substance use disorder. -
8:31 - 8:33It's a one-stop shop, if you will.
-
8:34 - 8:35A patient comes in,
-
8:35 - 8:40they're immediately assessed
by somebody who's an addiction specialist. -
8:41 - 8:43They work with them
to provide treatment options -
8:43 - 8:47based on their own needs,
individual needs. -
8:48 - 8:50This does several things for us.
-
8:50 - 8:55It gives first responders a place
to either take or refer our patients -
8:55 - 8:57who are no longer
in a life-threatening situation, -
8:57 - 9:00that have refused to go to the hospital.
-
9:00 - 9:04And it also clears up
-
9:04 - 9:08the overwhelmed emergency rooms
in hospitals that we have. -
9:09 - 9:11The third thing
that I want to tell you about -
9:11 - 9:15is very dear to me
and very important to my team. -
9:16 - 9:20We recently started
a first responders self-care program. -
9:22 - 9:24More and more ...
-
9:25 - 9:31first responders are experiencing
compassion fatigue and PTSD. -
9:33 - 9:38It is not uncommon for the average
firefighter in Huntington -
9:39 - 9:44to deal with or see
up to five young deaths per month. -
9:46 - 9:49These are their friends,
these are their classmates. -
9:50 - 9:55So this much-needed program
will not only recognize their hard work, -
9:55 - 9:57it's going to give them a voice.
-
9:57 - 10:00It's going to provide them with training
-
10:00 - 10:03that will help deal with the stress
that they are under. -
10:04 - 10:06And it will give them
more mental-health options -
10:06 - 10:08that they desperately need.
-
10:11 - 10:13We now have yoga classes in fire stations.
-
10:13 - 10:15(Laughter)
-
10:15 - 10:19(Applause)
-
10:19 - 10:22We've also provided on-duty
massages, which is fabulous. -
10:22 - 10:24(Laughter)
-
10:24 - 10:27And we have some off-duty programs
that we've started, -
10:27 - 10:30like cooking classes for first responders
and their significant other -
10:30 - 10:32and pottery classes.
-
10:33 - 10:36So a couple of months ago,
-
10:36 - 10:40I walked out on the apparatus floor,
where I had some firefighters. -
10:41 - 10:43And half of them had had a massage,
-
10:43 - 10:46and the other half were getting
ready to have a massage. -
10:47 - 10:51And I saw 10 firefighters
who were bantering -
10:51 - 10:54in a very positive, relaxed manner.
-
10:55 - 10:57And I hadn't seen that in years.
-
10:58 - 11:04And that relaxed state is trickling down
to the community, to the citizens. -
11:05 - 11:09So a couple of weeks ago,
I had a neighbor overdose. -
11:09 - 11:11Twenty-two years old.
-
11:11 - 11:15So of course, I hurried down
to help my firefighters and my neighbor. -
11:16 - 11:20And what I witnessed
was my firefighters being supportive. -
11:20 - 11:22Talking in a non-judgmental way.
-
11:23 - 11:25I watched as one of my firefighters
-
11:25 - 11:28showed the father
and another family member -
11:28 - 11:31how to provide rescue breaths,
should this happen again. -
11:31 - 11:34And left him with a bag valve mask.
-
11:34 - 11:36Positive change.
-
11:36 - 11:38Positive change.
-
11:39 - 11:41Did I happen to mention
-
11:41 - 11:44the two things that firefighters
dislike the most? -
11:45 - 11:48The way things are and change.
-
11:48 - 11:54(Laughter)
-
11:54 - 11:58You know, I recognize that there have been
drug epidemics before. -
11:58 - 12:01And I've seen what crack
can do to a community. -
12:02 - 12:04A lot of our critics think
-
12:04 - 12:10that this new compassionate response
that we're doing in Huntington -
12:10 - 12:13is because of race.
-
12:13 - 12:18That because the overdoses are happening
so much to the white community. -
12:18 - 12:21And I understand that criticism,
-
12:21 - 12:23because we as a country messed up.
-
12:24 - 12:28And we treated black people poorly
during the crack epidemic. -
12:29 - 12:31We can't forget that.
-
12:31 - 12:32And we must do better.
-
12:34 - 12:37But right now, what I know
is people are dying. -
12:38 - 12:44And we in Huntington deal with people
suffering from substance use disorder -
12:44 - 12:49of every color and every background,
on the streets, every day. -
12:51 - 12:55The job of a first responder:
prevent unnecessary deaths. -
12:56 - 12:57Period.
-
12:59 - 13:00So ...
-
13:02 - 13:05Obviously, I'm a stubborn
firefighter and nurse. -
13:06 - 13:10And I refuse to believe that there isn't
a way around every barrier. -
13:11 - 13:13One of the barriers that we have
-
13:13 - 13:16dealing with the opioid
epidemic is stigma. -
13:18 - 13:19So ...
-
13:21 - 13:25We in Huntington, West Virginia,
are showing the rest of the country -
13:26 - 13:28that change can happen.
-
13:29 - 13:32That there is hope
dealing with this epidemic. -
13:33 - 13:37Our current overdoses are down 40 percent.
-
13:38 - 13:45(Applause)
-
13:46 - 13:49Currently, our overdose deaths
are down 50 percent. -
13:50 - 13:54(Applause)
-
13:54 - 13:57This epidemic is far from over.
-
13:57 - 14:02But each and every one of us
has a part to play in this epidemic. -
14:02 - 14:06Just by listening
and being kind to somebody, -
14:06 - 14:10you have the ability
to make a difference in their lives. -
14:10 - 14:12Thank you and God bless.
-
14:12 - 14:17(Applause)
- Title:
- In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life
- Speaker:
- Jan Rader
- Description:
-
As a fire chief and first responder, Jan Rader has spent her career saving lives. But when the opioid epidemic hit her town, she realized they needed to take a brand-new approach to life-saving. In this powerful, hopeful talk, Rader shows what it's like on the front lines of this crisis -- and how her community is taking an unusual new approach to treating substance-abuse disorder that starts with listening.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 14:31
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life | ||
Krystian Aparta accepted English subtitles for In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for In the opioid crisis, here's what it takes to save a life |