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Mass. becomes first state to require non-opioid pain meds in ambulances

ACUSHNET, Mass. — Massachusetts became the first state to require non-opioid pain medicine in ambulances.

The move came after Acushnet Fire Chief Kevin Gallagher took concerns to the State Department of Health after 30 overdose calls, seven of which were fatal, in the town last year.

The number of calls is already at 10 for this year alone.

"It was brought up in this station over cups of coffee. It just did not make sense that, in an opioid crisis, the only medication we were allowed to use to treat pain were opioids," Gallagher said.

The move requires the ambulances to roll with medicine like ibuprofen and acetaminophen, in addition to narcotics like morphine and fentanyl that they have always carried.

"Our folks are pretty blunt," Gallagher said. "We tell them that we can give them synthetic heroin that will take there pain absolutely away, or we can give them acetaminophen, which might take a few minutes."

When given a choice, veteran paramedic firefighter Brian Donohoe says most patients prefer non-opioid options.

"You may have someone with that in between they're hurt and they're injured, and we want to take care of them," Donohoe said. "But we don’t have to give them a specific narcotic anymore."

>>RELATED: 20 percent of Americans know someone who has dealt with opioid addiction

Gallagher says it's a small way of combating a big problem, and he hopes other states follow Massachusetts' lead.

"We’ll be more than happy to show them the ropes," Gallagher said.