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Whatcom EMS reports overdose trends: naloxone increasingly used by bystanders, non-transport rate falling
Summary
Whatcom EMS presented updated overdose-response data showing a May 2024 peak, an average around three EMS overdose responses per day in early March 2025, growing use of bystander-administered naloxone and a decline in non-transport rates from roughly the low 40s percent to about 35 percent.
Whatcom EMS presented monthly overdose and naloxone distribution data to the Incarceration Prevention Reduction Task Force on March 11, reporting that county EMS responses peaked in May 2024 and in early March 2025 were averaging about three overdose responses per day. Presenter Mike Hilly noted the EMS dashboard and WhatcomOverdosePrevention.org as sources for regularly updated data.
Hilly said naloxone distribution has shifted: a growing share of naloxone administrations are recorded as "prior to arrival" (civilian or other first responders giving naloxone before EMS arrives). He and others discussed that civilian first responders and community members now give naloxone in many cases and that training would help increase appropriate use. Hilly and colleagues said they offer naloxone training events and can provide videos and courses for community members.
The EMS presenter described patient dispositions and a trend away from non-transport: earlier in the year the non-transport rate was reported at about 42'45 percent; the presenter said the recent rate had fallen to about 35 percent, meaning more patients are accepting transport to emergency departments. Hilly and others discussed whether availability of buprenorphine in emergency departments and mobile MOUD services might affect transport acceptance.
The EMS slides included demographic breakdowns by age and gender, call-location type (many calls in single-family homes and apartments, with a portion among unhoused people and public places) and a countywide map of overdose call locations. Hilly offered to share a longer regional report (the Washington State overdose-death surveillance bulletin) for more context and said county-level data can be broken down by ZIP code for cities interested in localized information.
Participants asked about public education, training resources and county participation in state-level reporting: Dr. Wu and others asked why the county did not appear as a contributor in a certain state report; Hilly said he would follow up about the medical examiner's participation in that state program and share relevant materials. Several attendees urged continued public education on naloxone administration and offered to coordinate data sharing for local presentations.
