{"id":459658,"date":"2025-05-27T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=459658"},"modified":"2025-05-27T15:22:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T15:22:24","slug":"saving-lives-by-preventing-overdoses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=459658","title":{"rendered":"Saving lives by preventing overdoses"},"content":{"rendered":"

When VA nurse Tomeka Allison lost a family member to an overdose<\/a>, she knew she had to act. Today, she\u2019s leading a pioneering effort at Dallas VA Medical Center<\/a> that\u2019s already touched the lives of more than 175 Veterans and their families.<\/p>\n

The stakes couldn\u2019t be higher. Veterans are twice as likely to die from accidental overdose compared with the general U.S. population, and recent studies show that up to 60% of Veterans from Middle East conflicts deal with chronic pain, rising to 75% among women Veterans.<\/p>\n

The staff at Dallas VA responded by creating a comprehensive education and identification plan focusing on naloxone, also known as Narcan, a life-saving medication that reverses the effects of opioids.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of missed information and educational gaps,\u201d Allison said. \u201cI want Veterans and their families to be well informed because this knowledge can save lives. We teach the Veterans, their families and caretakers about the medication. We answer any questions they have and demonstrate how to use the nasal mist properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a recent teaching event, Army Veteran Robert Sander watched as nurse Ashley Gentle carefully reviewed his medications. \u201cThese nurses take their time to talk and listen,\u201d Sander said. \u201cLook at her, she\u2019s examining all these pill bottles. I\u2019m so glad to see people like her that care about us Veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n

A mist that saves lives<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/a>
Robert Sander, a U.S. Army Veteran, gets his blood pressure checked by Ashley Gentle, RN, during a recent teaching event. \u201cThese nurses take their time to talk and listen,\u201d Sander says. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The initiative has already proved its worth. \u201cI know of Veteran families who have successfully used the mist to save their loved one\u2019s life,\u201d Allison said proudly. \u201cThis medication can save lives, including our Veterans\u2019 family members.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gentle emphasized their holistic approach: \u201cMany of our Veterans take multiple medications, including opioids. We care for the whole Veteran and see them and their families as partners in achieving high-quality care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery life saved is a victory,\u201d Allison added. \u201cBut our real success comes from preventing overdoses before they happen, through education and awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information about VA\u2019s overdose prevention programs or to learn about Naloxone, contact your primary care team at your their local VA or visit VA\u2019s website on Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When VA nurse Tomeka Allison lost a family member to an overdose, she knew she had to act. Today, she\u2019s leading a pioneering effort at Dallas VA Medical Center that\u2019s already touched the lives of more than 175 Veterans and their families. The stakes couldn\u2019t be higher. Veterans are twice as likely to die from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":459660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1239,5,1562],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-459658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drug-overdose","category-health","category-naloxone"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=459658"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":459664,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459658\/revisions\/459664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/459660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=459658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=459658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=459658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}