Copyright Austin Daily Herald
At the Grand Meadow Fire Hall and Ambulance on Thursday night, the first of several emergency response machines were issued to Mower County agencies, the result of a grant proposal to the Opioid Advisory Committee. Money to purchase the machines, which include LUCAS 3 compression systems, ZOLL monitors and a Lifepak unit, were part of a proposal to the council by the Southeastern Minnesota Emergency Medical Services based in Rochester. “This was the kind of thing to put our minds together and ask some questions about how the money can benefit the citizens of the county,” said SE EMS Executive Director Alex Catevenis. “Looking at the entire southeast region and obviously setting a precedent for other counties and other states to look at this and say ‘how can we do the same thing.’” Catevenis went on to say that the Austin Fire Department, Brownsdale Fire Department and Dexter Fire Department will receive the LLUCA 3 systems, while those agencies, along with Lyle EMS will receive the ZOLL monitors. Grand Meadow Ambulance will be receiving the Lifepak. It's an important step for the local agencies in responding to emergencies such as an overdose, especially in a time when first responder numbers can sometimes be limited. “It’s not a substitute by any means,” Catevenis said. “It’s another tool in your tool box, specifically if you have minimal responders. There are going to be times when we find ourselves with maybe two people responding.” The value of the LUCAS 3 systems is that the devices can take over chest compressions during an emergency and free up responders to concentrate on other areas, whether that’s working to reestablish breathing or talking with family members who may be on scene. The monitors themselves are multiuse and can be used in a number of ways depending on the emergency situation. For the Opioid Advisory Committee, these are the kinds of proposals the group is looking for. “When Alex’s proposal came through, it was pretty much unanimous,” said Mower County Health and Human Services’ Allison Scott, who is also on the committee. “We saw the value in it. We saw the benefit not just for the recovery community, but also the community as a whole.” The Opioid Advisory Committee is tasked with distributing funds allocated to Mower County after being filtered down from lawsuits against opioid companies. Funding will come in installments every year over the span of 15 years. So far the committee has issued money for the Naloxone vending machine in Austin, Recovery is Happening’s Recovery Walk and the Bright Life House — a sober house for women that is currently in development. “There is more money to be spent and we always would love to see more projects to reduce the number of overdoses and show that recovery is possible in Mower County,” Scott said. While the units handed out Tuesday night and later are a good start, they won’t cover the entire county’s needs. Catevenis said that work will continue to try and highlight other avenues that might be available through the use of funding from the Opioid Advisory Committee. This may also cover those departments and agencies that already have devices in hand. “We’re looking to see if there is something where they can submit a proposal for additional equipment or a plan that’s good for them,” he said. “Maybe see if there is some kind of prevention program or training program they do for their communities.” In the meantime, machines such as these are yet another step in meeting the challenge of opioid addiction in the county. “These are investments,” Catevenis said.
