Camden-based Cooper University Health Care announced a major expansion of its pioneering Bupe FIRST program, bringing immediate addiction treatment to overdose survivors in North Jersey through partnerships with University Hospital in Newark and St. Joseph’s Health in Paterson.
Bupe FIRST (Field Initiation of ReScue Treatment by EMS) is the first-in-the-nation program to equip and train Emergency Medical Services (EMS) teams to administer buprenorphine—a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD)—directly in the field. This intervention targets a critical gap in care: the high number of overdose survivors who refuse transport to a hospital and subsequently face a high risk of death. Historically, one in ten overdose survivors dies within a year.
Starting addiction treatment in the field
Buprenorphine (often called “bupe”) is a partial opioid agonist that effectively relieves severe withdrawal symptoms and reduces cravings, thereby reducing the risk of a repeat, fatal overdose.
“That first interaction between a person who is suffering an overdose and EMS is a potent moment for intervention,” Dr. Gerard Carroll, medical director of Cooper EMS said. “Through Bupe FIRST, the responding EMS team has a needed tool to treat a patient’s underlying addiction, not only the overdose. The expansion… will translate to lives saved and improved outcomes for those affected by opioid use disorder in New Jersey.”
The program’s success is evidence-based: a 2022 study by Cooper researchers found that overdose patients who received buprenorphine from an EMS team were five times as likely to have engaged in addiction treatment within the following 30 days compared to those who did not.
North Jersey partnerships
- University Hospital (Newark): Now has seven paramedic units equipped and trained to administer buprenorphine, serving approximately 400,000 residents in Newark, Orange, West Orange and greater Essex County.
- St. Joseph’s Health (Paterson): Cooper will collaborate with St. Joseph’s to develop a formal, structured referral program that connects patients treated with buprenorphine in the field to long-term addiction care.
“The evidence is clear. Bupe FIRST saves lives and brings people who are most at risk of death from opioid use disorder into care,” Dr. Rachel Haroz, head of Cooper’s Center for Healing said.
Launched in Camden in 2019, the Bupe FIRST program has become a national model, inspiring similar initiatives in states including California, Delaware, Minnesota, Missouri and Washington, as well as parts of Canada.
