April 21, 2025 • 25 mins
In this episode of Covering Your Health with Evelyn Erives, presented by IEHP, we explore crucial topics that can help you protect your loved ones during emergencies. Join Evelyn as she chats with Kelly Smith, a trauma nurse coordinator at Riverside University Health System's Medical Center in Moreno Valley. Kelly brings her extensive experience and expertise to the table, discussing life-saving measures such as responding to opioid overdoses, the proper use of Narcan, and the importance of the "Stop The Bleed" program.
Kelly also shares insights from her role as an instructor for the Stop The Bleed certification course, emphasizing the significance of being prepared to handle severe bleeding incidents. Tune in to learn practical tips and essential knowledge that can make a difference in critical situations.
For more information on this show's topic visit IEHP.org or (800) 440-IEHP.
You can also learn more at StopTheBleed.org and RUHealth.org.
Reach out to Evelyn via Instagram @evelynerives or email her at EvelynErives@iHeartMedia.com
Kelly also shares insights from her role as an instructor for the Stop The Bleed certification course, emphasizing the significance of being prepared to handle severe bleeding incidents. Tune in to learn practical tips and essential knowledge that can make a difference in critical situations.
For more information on this show's topic visit IEHP.org or (800) 440-IEHP.
You can also learn more at StopTheBleed.org and RUHealth.org.
Reach out to Evelyn via Instagram @evelynerives or email her at EvelynErives@iHeartMedia.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hate there. Welcome back to another episode of Covering Your Health,
or welcome for the first time if this is the
first time that you have ever listened this is Covering
your Health. I am EVELYNI reve as your host, and
we're back with another fact field episode. I think that
you're gonna get a ton of information out of This
is a really special one because I always say that
(00:22):
I know they're also special, but they are special to
me because I learn so much with every single episode.
I'm just like you, I'm learning every single time, and this,
I feel like, is one of those episodes that no
matter the age, the information that you're gonna find in
this episode is valuable, so valuable. Emergencies affect everyone, and
(00:47):
you may have heard the word Narkhan used a lot
and Ventanyl used a lot. We're gonna talk about some
of those things that are in the headlines right now
and how you can keep your family safe. Today. We're
joined by Kelly Smith. She's a trauma nurse coordinator with
Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center in Marina Valley. She's
(01:10):
going to talk all about her career narcan one oh one,
her passion for education. Oh there's a lot of fun
and stuff about that and so so much more. And
before we get started, I want to tell you a
little bit more about our guest. In addition to her
work with Riverside University Health Systems, she's also a mother
of two, an avid scuba diver, a world traveler. I mean,
(01:32):
she's worked on mission trips to Kenya, Fiji, Guatemala, Nigeria,
and her Stop the Bleed certification course has really caught
the attention of doctors, nurses, first responders, and so much more.
You can tell she's very passionate about stop the Bleed.
She also has a passion for educating the public on
(01:54):
fall prevention, car safety and reckless and distracted driving prevention.
List goes on and on. She is an expert, and
I'm so grateful and very excited to welcome her, such
a busy, knowledgeable young woman to our little Covering Your
Health family. So let's get into it, shall we?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Welcome to Covering Your Health, a wellness podcast dedicated to
covering all areas of living a healthy and happy lifestyle,
from healthy hearts to understanding health plans and everything in between.
Each episode will provide you with a better understanding of
managing your health, preventative care, and staying on the right
path for your family's wellness journey. The Covering Your Health
(02:35):
podcast is presented by I e HP. Now your host
Evelina Revez.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
All Right, well, let's welcome Kelly. Hi, Kelly. How are you.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I'm being great, wonderful to be here. How are you?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I'm fantastic and I'm so happy to have you here.
I know this is going to be a very special episode.
Let's start at the beginning, though, I want to know
about you. Tell me how to did you find yourself
in this line of work? Did you always know you
wanted to be a trauma nurse?
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Well, I talked for a long time ago. I was
a waitress for about ten years prior to being a nurse,
and there I really learned to love to serve people
and I love the the fast pacedness of it. But
I knew I needed more of a career to kind
of expand my reach to people. So I decided to
go into nursing. Graduated from RBC back in two thousand
(03:30):
and nine.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
So you went to RCC. That's so cool local right here?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yeah, I sure did. Yet graduated from there as I
was going to nursing school, I decided I needed to
get into the medical field, so I started as a
full bottomist, went to phulebotomy school, actually did my internship
at Riverside University Health System, got hired on as a
pubottomist there. As working there and going to nursing school,
(03:54):
I really realized that I wanted to work at RUHS.
I really valued their mission and the care that they
were able to give to the community. And so right
when I graduated nursing school, I got a job there
two thousand and nine, working on a message floor.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And did that passion start for you really young? Did
you know you wanted to be a nurse?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I did. I knew I wanted to be out there
helping people, doing something that was that I could care
for somebody, always learning and growing.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, no, no, no for sure. And did you grow
up here in the Inland Empire?
Speaker 3 (04:26):
I did, born and raised in southern California. I grew
up in Riverside.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Nice. That's awesome. Well, let's get let's get talking about
your role as a trauma nurse coordinator. Obviously that's a
big title for those who are unfamiliar with this type
of role. Can you kind of share a little bit
about what your everyday work life looks like.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Certain So, as working in the trauma department, I do
what's called injury prevention. That's my main title, that's my
main role as a Level one adult home center and
the Goodsy Counting. It is our publication and duty to
not only treat the person with the best most quality
(05:10):
care as when they're in the hospital, but also to
help prevent them from coming into the hospital by educating them. Yeah,
by educating them, providing them resources to help keep them
safe and out of the hospital. So that's kind of
my job. I wish there was every day this is
exactly what I do.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
It seems a very imagine Yeah, I bet it's very
different every single day. You don't know what you're going
to get yourself into anything, including having to join me
on a podcast. That's so true.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Yeah, yeah, But really my goal is to analyze our data,
why are people getting injured, how are they getting injured,
and then research some evidence based programs out there and
then implement them into our community education. That's what it's
all about. Education and prevention a lot easier than treatment.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
That's so true. No, the more you know, right, the better,
you can behave and your actions will hopefully follow through
on that once you know better. For those who don't
really follow the news, obviously, there's been a lot, a
huge increase in opioid use in both Riverside and San
Bernardino Counties. Can we talk about opioids? What are they?
(06:24):
For those who don't know?
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Sure? So. Opioids are a class of medications that's used
for pain relief, and when prescribed and used correctly, can
be safe to manage pain. It's when they are not
used in misused, when they're taken inexcessive, when they're taken
not for pain, that's when they become a problem and
(06:47):
becomes a huge issue for a community.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yes, yes, now is fentanyl an Opioidol is a type
of opioid and when administered correctly, is space.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
But we have noticed that it is being incorrectly manufactured.
It is being added to other medications and other drugs
that normally does not have fentanyl in it, and even
the tiniest bit of fentanyl that placed incorrectly can actually
lead to leeople overdoses, which is why it's been such
(07:22):
a huge problem in our community.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
And we've all heard the ads. Now at this point
of you know, trying to help people prevent themselves from
having an fentanyl overdose and understanding that it could be
in regular drugs and things like that, which is just
so scary.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
It really is. Yeah, I think fentanyl has such a
bad condotation now and so people stay away from using fentanyl.
But what we noticed that people are still using some
of their other drugs, whether it be heroin or sometimes
they take a not correctly prescribed vanax or like some
of these black market medications that they think are very
(08:03):
benign and that wouldn't seek to have fentanyl it. But
we know that sentanyl is being added to a lot
of these kind of drugs that are being sold and
then leading to a huge, huge overdose.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Yeah, that's so scary. Oh my gosh. So how are
people getting i mean, are you finding this information out?
How are people getting their hands on opioids if they
don't even have a prescription for it, right, and.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
It's they're getting it on the black market. They're getting
it from their friends, from their dealers, just like they
would get any kind of street medication or drugs. That's
how they're getting a hold of it. And unfortunately, the
way that ventanyl works and the biodiversity and the availability
of it can cause the medication be very unstable and
(08:51):
lead to lethal overdoses very quickly.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Are you seeing this with all ages or is there
like a targeted demographic that's that you're finding is using
or abusing opioids.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
More so with the opiate it's it's more Yeah, any
kind of solicit drugs and stuff that people are getting
their hands on that's causing overdoses, and we are seeing
it in the younger and younger populations. You know, kids
getting a hold of it from their other friends and stuff,
not realizing that it's setanel. Maybe they are taking it
as like a stimulate so that they can study for test,
(09:27):
or that they're very anxious so they're taking something to
help calm them down and not realizing statage it's help
with lethal doses of wow.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Wow. So, how can we keep our loved ones safe
from really accessing opioids even if they're prescribed to them.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
It's a good point. We can't prevent all of them, right,
we thought, what we can do is educate. We really
need to have those conversations with our loved ones, our
family members, our children and stuff about the dangers of
illicit rugs of all sorts, right, and the facts behind it.
You know, if you are prescribed to opiate and maybe
(10:06):
you have a high risk family member in your house,
you can lock the medication or hide it and stuff
so they can't get to it. But really, I think
the key is education and making having those conversations so
that our children and our family members make the right
decisions every single time.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Right right, Education is the key right there. So what
are the signs of an overdose? Let's talk about that
because I have, thank god, never seen anyone overdose. But
what does that look like? I know you as a trauminurs,
you've probably seen that before, right, many times.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
I have, and it's terribly scary. The person is usually
very lethargic. They're unresponsive, they're not waking up when you're
calling them. They are breathing very shallow, they're breathing very slow,
or they're not breathing at all, which can turn them
colors in shades of gray and blue. Sometimes there's like
(11:03):
this bad snoring respirations we call it. And then also
if you can if they are exhibiting signs of respiratory
depression like that, if you look into their eyes and
they have their pupils or pinpoint. That is a classic
sign of an opiate overdose.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Oh my gosh, really, oh my, that sounds so scary.
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
It is, especially when you come across that on your
loved one or your child or something that has has
The can be very scary. So that's why it's so
important to know what the signs are and know what
you're looking at so that you can act immediately, call
nine one one, you know, administer the the loc zone
if you have it.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Now, Is that the same as narcan? Is that what
we're talking about here?
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Yeah, Nartin and the lozone are interchangeable and stuff like that.
And it is the medication to help reverse any kind
of opiate overdose.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I've heard a lot about it, so I'm super curious
about it. I'm glad that you know about it. So
this drug particularly helps reverse the effects, like you said,
of a potential opioid overdose, and it does it in minutes.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Right, It is almost immediate. Is an incredible, incredible medication
to give you almost feel like like God when you're
doing it, because here they are very unresponsive, not breathing, correctly,
you give the medication and they just kind of hopefully
pop right back up, start breathing much better and kind
of have their symptoms resolved. Yeah, it's a great medication.
(12:31):
It is found. We can give it a couple different ways,
but for the public, what we do is we give
it internasally, so in the nose. So they come in
little unit doses that you can get over the counter.
You can get it for free as well as you
could buy it at CBS or any of your drugs firsts.
And what you do is you come across somebody that
(12:51):
you suspect is overdose or is not responsive, not breathing correctly.
You're going to call name one one. You're going to
take your medicate, that medication, put it into their nose,
and then you just push the little a little plunger
and administer the entire dose of those snolozone in the nose.
Sometimes one of the side effects of the nolaczone is
(13:12):
that they can become a little bit agitated when they
come out of their haze there. So then wonderful thing
about the milozone is that if it is okay overdose,
it will save their life. If it is not there's
no adverse reactions or issues that can happen with giving it.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Oh wow, okay, interesting.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah, So even if maybe come across your person that's
not responsive and you don't think that it's okay, it's
necessarily you could still give it and it wouldn't cause
any problems. But if it is an okay overdose, it
will save their life.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Right, Oh my gosh. Yeah, So it's almost like just
try it anyway.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Right, Absolutely, try it anyway, because, like I said, it
is the sunnel, or is in everything, and people are
getting a hold of it. Even if you don't think
that your family member, your child is doing it, they
can still somehow get a hold of it. Unfortunately, so
having it, having it on you, having it on your
person and stuff, just to be able to empower yourself
(14:13):
to be able to save their life.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
No, that's such a great point. So it's almost like
we should just all have it maybe even in our
purse or in our backpack, just or in our house
at least, right, so that in case something happens, I mean,
God forbid.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
God forbid, right, I mean, it's so much better to
have it and not need it than to need it
and not have it. As a nurse, we are always
trying to be prepared for the worst case scenario, and
it seems like if we have what we need, we
won't need it, right like so if yeah so, and
it's so much better to have it there, and maybe
(14:47):
it's a waste and you throw it away after expires
and stuff like that. Then to not have it and
need it because you had a family or a loved
one or your child's friend come over and got into
something you shouldn't have and then overdo Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yeah, so tell me you said that there's ways to
get it for free. How how is that possible?
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Wonderful?
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:09):
So, I know. At Riverside University Health System, in our
emergency room, we have a freedom of nux Zone program.
Anybody can go in no questions, as I would like
to profess a few boxes of one can and we
give it to you for free.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
There.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
You can also go on to back fighte Sentinel dot
org and they have a fine meloc Zone button where
you can click on that and it'll have a map
for all of your local free molock zone distribution centers.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Oh nice, Oh that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
It is. We give it out a lot at events
just to make sure that we can get the word
out to the public and empower them, give them what
they need to help combat this crisis. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, what other online tools are available on are you
hs's website for parents and educator to really like access
on the dangers of opioids and you know, and some
of the things we've talked about today.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Sure at aaruhealth dot org. Be gosh, behavioral Hope, we
have this great substance use prevention tool box and treatment
services so on. There. It has all kinds of different
resources where you can get in the locks on designs
and symptoms classes if you or your loved one would
(16:26):
like to take classes on sentinel and overdoses, how to
talk to your children about it. There's also treatment options
as well. We offer cares program and you can call
the number and get treatment for yourself or your loved
one or at least some resources for that.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Oh my gosh, perfect, that's great. That's so much great information.
Oh let's let's switch gears just for a bit. I
would love to talk about stop the bleed. How is
it defined? And how can people become certified in this?
Really a life skill Stop the bleed?
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Who I love it. I love stop the bleed. I'm
very baddinate about it. For working and yeah, in the
in the EI, working in troll and stuff, we see
bleeding emergencies all of the time. We know that bleeding,
uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death
for adults and children, really, and we know that somebody
(17:22):
can bleed out within three to five minutes, depending on
where they're injured, how badly they're injured. And sometimes our
first responders there are EMTs and paramedics, it takes them
anywhere from seven to ten minutes sometimes to get to
where that person that's happened in the emergency is bleeding. Right,
So really, yeah, so who becomes the first responders?
Speaker 2 (17:43):
You?
Speaker 3 (17:44):
We do? We do all right? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Me?
Speaker 3 (17:46):
You the public?
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Right yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Yeah? So so yeah we do right. And so what
we found is that people don't know what to do. Right.
They want to do something, they really want to intervene
they see somebody hurt. Our whole nature is to go
in there and try to save somebody's life, right, But
then they don't know how to do that or what
to do, or they're overwhelmed with it. Knowing this, the
Department of Defense and Homeland Security really was like, hmm,
(18:13):
what can we do to educate and empower the public
and what to do in breeding emergencies. So they came
up with a courageum and a campaign called Stop the
Bleep and it's really designed to teach people what to
do in that kind of emergency if they're faced with it.
So it's a free class. I mean, the formal classes
(18:33):
are free. They're about forty five minutes to one hour,
and it really you go from I'm scared to touch somebody,
I don't want to do anything, I don't know what
to do, and really being empowered like wow, I know
I can intervene and really help somebody and try to save.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Their life and get certified in this life certain Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yeah, that's what's what's so great about it too. And
you know, as things that you can do and kind
of little reminders and oh I could do that if
you know, I didn't know that would help them before,
if I could just do that, you.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Know, wow, No, that's so cool. I love that. Yeah,
you know, the more you know too, you know, I
think about like when you're younger and you're going to
start babysitting and you they say, oh, well, let's make
sure you know CPR things like that. This is one
of those skills that really everybody should have.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Absolutely, it's just as important as CPR is leading control.
And so that's why we really try to go out
there and teach anybody and everybody. I have taught over
five thousand people in the community.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Wow, that's a huge that's a huge number.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Right, I'm so passionate about it though. We say that
nobody should breed to death, and it's so you know,
and it's so satisfying to see people go into that
class almost scared to interview, and then coming out of
it going wow, that was such a great empower in class.
Now I can really like go out there and not
that I want somebody to get hurt, but I don't
know what to do if I if they do get.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Hurt, you know, yeah, oh my gosh. Okay, So how
old do you have to be to participate? Is question
number one? And then I want to know if there's
a cost to do.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
This very great. So I have taught anywhere from the
Girl Scouts maybe about seven or eight. Oh, I know,
they get all excited sometimes. Yeah, there's like a little
bleeding arm that we utilize and you know, packing the
wound and stuff. So they're very vaccinated and very curious
about it and stuff. So I teach anywhere from seven
(20:34):
or eighteen years old to go into some of the
senior centers and helping them. So it's it's really all ages.
It just depends on kind of their maturity level and stuff.
And it could be tailored too. Right, I'm going to
teach these girl scouts a little bit different skill set
than I would teach somebody else, an adult, you know,
something up their level. But the class is free. Oh wow,
(20:56):
which is Yeah, it's is so great to go out
there and teach free class. You know, sometimes PPR and
first aid and stuff, sometimes they charge for it. But
this campaign and this class is designed to be free
and easy for everybody to accept.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Oh that's so cool. Okay, So how can people learn
more and sign up.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
For this great? God? Yeah, So Stop the bleed dot
org if the official website, you can go on there.
You can search for local classes. That's one way to
do it. Also another way to do it, I know
myself and a lot of other Stop the Bleed instructors
will go to people. Right, we just want to teach
(21:36):
anybody and everybody. So a lot of companies, their safety
divisions have had us come in and teach their employees.
We've gone to churches, we do a lot of high
schools and stuff. So if that's something that you want
in your community again, you can make an inquiry on
stop the Bleef dot org and say I would love
to have a stop the Bleed class for my staff,
(21:58):
and they will find a local Stop the lead instructors
to be able to accommodate that.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Oh my god, I love that. Oh that's so important.
That's I love that it's free. I love that you
don't have to be a certain age like sixteen or eighteen.
You could be as as young as a girl's scout.
You know. That's so cool and this is very crucial.
I feel like I need to sign my whole family
up to do it.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Yes, please, I'll give you my number here. Yeah. I've
gone to even people's neighborhoods and just they've had everybody
gathered mond this essential skill. Because it's great if you
know what to do. But what if you're the one hurt.
You want your friends and your family and your loved ones.
Your coworkers would know what to do right?
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Good point. Yeah, yes, I want the people around me to.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Know what to do exactly. It's been a couple of times,
but I needed the first date of God that my
family members and what to do.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Yes, oh well, this is so informative. I love that.
I'm going to try to make sure I get all
of those websites in the show notes to so that
way we are covered and people know exactly where to go,
also where they can find nar can things like that
before I let you go. I feel like there was
so much valuable information in this, So tell me what
(23:15):
are those three big three takeaways that you hope that
everybody who's listening right now really just it resonates in
their head after this.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Really, what I want people to take away is that
things happen anywhere and everywhere, and sometimes we can prevent overdoses,
we can prevent bleeding emergencies, and sometimes we cannot, right,
but what we can do is educate ourselves, empower ourselves,
give ourselves the tools to be able to help a
(23:46):
person in need and save their life. It's really what
I want people to take away from this. You know,
by educating yourself on sentinel and opiate overdoses and how
to have conversations with your loved ones and also you know,
educating yourself on what to do if somebody is bleeding
to death and stuff. Those kinds, that kind of knowledge
and skills that can be translated into the community and
(24:10):
into world real, real world application and empower you to
be a hero yourself.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Oh I love that. Yes, yes again, key, education, this
the likelihood of an emergency happening around you. I mean,
it's it's going to happen. It's just going to happen.
It might not be a one where you'll need NARCAN,
but it could be. And why not just have all
that education so you're prepared so your family member or
(24:40):
even yourself doesn't have to suffer. So beautifully said. And
I have really enjoyed talking to you, Kelly. Thank you
so much for joining me and becoming part of our
little Covering your Health family.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Wonderful.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
It's been a pleasure to do so. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Hopefully we can have you back on too, because I
know that there's so much to discuss when it comes
to emergency situations. And more so, thank you again for
joining me. And uh, well, I know you're a busy woman,
So I won't hold you any longer. Go and get
that education out in the community.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Yeah, I go.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
She's all right.
Hate there. Welcome back to another episode of Covering Your Health,
or welcome for the first time if this is the
first time that you have ever listened this is Covering
your Health. I am EVELYNI reve as your host, and
we're back with another fact field episode. I think that
you're gonna get a ton of information out of This
is a really special one because I always say that
(00:22):
I know they're also special, but they are special to
me because I learn so much with every single episode.
I'm just like you, I'm learning every single time, and this,
I feel like, is one of those episodes that no
matter the age, the information that you're gonna find in
this episode is valuable, so valuable. Emergencies affect everyone, and
(00:47):
you may have heard the word Narkhan used a lot
and Ventanyl used a lot. We're gonna talk about some
of those things that are in the headlines right now
and how you can keep your family safe. Today. We're
joined by Kelly Smith. She's a trauma nurse coordinator with
Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center in Marina Valley. She's
(01:10):
going to talk all about her career narcan one oh one,
her passion for education. Oh there's a lot of fun
and stuff about that and so so much more. And
before we get started, I want to tell you a
little bit more about our guest. In addition to her
work with Riverside University Health Systems, she's also a mother
of two, an avid scuba diver, a world traveler. I mean,
(01:32):
she's worked on mission trips to Kenya, Fiji, Guatemala, Nigeria,
and her Stop the Bleed certification course has really caught
the attention of doctors, nurses, first responders, and so much more.
You can tell she's very passionate about stop the Bleed.
She also has a passion for educating the public on
(01:54):
fall prevention, car safety and reckless and distracted driving prevention.
List goes on and on. She is an expert, and
I'm so grateful and very excited to welcome her, such
a busy, knowledgeable young woman to our little Covering Your
Health family. So let's get into it, shall we?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Welcome to Covering Your Health, a wellness podcast dedicated to
covering all areas of living a healthy and happy lifestyle,
from healthy hearts to understanding health plans and everything in between.
Each episode will provide you with a better understanding of
managing your health, preventative care, and staying on the right
path for your family's wellness journey. The Covering Your Health
(02:35):
podcast is presented by I e HP. Now your host
Evelina Revez.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
All Right, well, let's welcome Kelly. Hi, Kelly. How are you.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I'm being great, wonderful to be here. How are you?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I'm fantastic and I'm so happy to have you here.
I know this is going to be a very special episode.
Let's start at the beginning, though, I want to know
about you. Tell me how to did you find yourself
in this line of work? Did you always know you
wanted to be a trauma nurse?
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Well, I talked for a long time ago. I was
a waitress for about ten years prior to being a nurse,
and there I really learned to love to serve people
and I love the the fast pacedness of it. But
I knew I needed more of a career to kind
of expand my reach to people. So I decided to
go into nursing. Graduated from RBC back in two thousand
(03:30):
and nine.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
So you went to RCC. That's so cool local right here?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yeah, I sure did. Yet graduated from there as I
was going to nursing school, I decided I needed to
get into the medical field, so I started as a
full bottomist, went to phulebotomy school, actually did my internship
at Riverside University Health System, got hired on as a
pubottomist there. As working there and going to nursing school,
(03:54):
I really realized that I wanted to work at RUHS.
I really valued their mission and the care that they
were able to give to the community. And so right
when I graduated nursing school, I got a job there
two thousand and nine, working on a message floor.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And did that passion start for you really young? Did
you know you wanted to be a nurse?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I did. I knew I wanted to be out there
helping people, doing something that was that I could care
for somebody, always learning and growing.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, no, no, no for sure. And did you grow
up here in the Inland Empire?
Speaker 3 (04:26):
I did, born and raised in southern California. I grew
up in Riverside.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Nice. That's awesome. Well, let's get let's get talking about
your role as a trauma nurse coordinator. Obviously that's a
big title for those who are unfamiliar with this type
of role. Can you kind of share a little bit
about what your everyday work life looks like.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Certain So, as working in the trauma department, I do
what's called injury prevention. That's my main title, that's my
main role as a Level one adult home center and
the Goodsy Counting. It is our publication and duty to
not only treat the person with the best most quality
(05:10):
care as when they're in the hospital, but also to
help prevent them from coming into the hospital by educating them. Yeah,
by educating them, providing them resources to help keep them
safe and out of the hospital. So that's kind of
my job. I wish there was every day this is
exactly what I do.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
It seems a very imagine Yeah, I bet it's very
different every single day. You don't know what you're going
to get yourself into anything, including having to join me
on a podcast. That's so true.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Yeah, yeah, But really my goal is to analyze our data,
why are people getting injured, how are they getting injured,
and then research some evidence based programs out there and
then implement them into our community education. That's what it's
all about. Education and prevention a lot easier than treatment.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
That's so true. No, the more you know, right, the better,
you can behave and your actions will hopefully follow through
on that once you know better. For those who don't
really follow the news, obviously, there's been a lot, a
huge increase in opioid use in both Riverside and San
Bernardino Counties. Can we talk about opioids? What are they?
(06:24):
For those who don't know?
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Sure? So. Opioids are a class of medications that's used
for pain relief, and when prescribed and used correctly, can
be safe to manage pain. It's when they are not
used in misused, when they're taken inexcessive, when they're taken
not for pain, that's when they become a problem and
(06:47):
becomes a huge issue for a community.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yes, yes, now is fentanyl an Opioidol is a type
of opioid and when administered correctly, is space.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
But we have noticed that it is being incorrectly manufactured.
It is being added to other medications and other drugs
that normally does not have fentanyl in it, and even
the tiniest bit of fentanyl that placed incorrectly can actually
lead to leeople overdoses, which is why it's been such
(07:22):
a huge problem in our community.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
And we've all heard the ads. Now at this point
of you know, trying to help people prevent themselves from
having an fentanyl overdose and understanding that it could be
in regular drugs and things like that, which is just
so scary.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
It really is. Yeah, I think fentanyl has such a
bad condotation now and so people stay away from using fentanyl.
But what we noticed that people are still using some
of their other drugs, whether it be heroin or sometimes
they take a not correctly prescribed vanax or like some
of these black market medications that they think are very
(08:03):
benign and that wouldn't seek to have fentanyl it. But
we know that sentanyl is being added to a lot
of these kind of drugs that are being sold and
then leading to a huge, huge overdose.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Yeah, that's so scary. Oh my gosh. So how are
people getting i mean, are you finding this information out?
How are people getting their hands on opioids if they
don't even have a prescription for it, right, and.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
It's they're getting it on the black market. They're getting
it from their friends, from their dealers, just like they
would get any kind of street medication or drugs. That's
how they're getting a hold of it. And unfortunately, the
way that ventanyl works and the biodiversity and the availability
of it can cause the medication be very unstable and
(08:51):
lead to lethal overdoses very quickly.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Are you seeing this with all ages or is there
like a targeted demographic that's that you're finding is using
or abusing opioids.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
More so with the opiate it's it's more Yeah, any
kind of solicit drugs and stuff that people are getting
their hands on that's causing overdoses, and we are seeing
it in the younger and younger populations. You know, kids
getting a hold of it from their other friends and stuff,
not realizing that it's setanel. Maybe they are taking it
as like a stimulate so that they can study for test,
(09:27):
or that they're very anxious so they're taking something to
help calm them down and not realizing statage it's help
with lethal doses of wow.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Wow. So, how can we keep our loved ones safe
from really accessing opioids even if they're prescribed to them.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
It's a good point. We can't prevent all of them, right,
we thought, what we can do is educate. We really
need to have those conversations with our loved ones, our
family members, our children and stuff about the dangers of
illicit rugs of all sorts, right, and the facts behind it.
You know, if you are prescribed to opiate and maybe
(10:06):
you have a high risk family member in your house,
you can lock the medication or hide it and stuff
so they can't get to it. But really, I think
the key is education and making having those conversations so
that our children and our family members make the right
decisions every single time.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Right right, Education is the key right there. So what
are the signs of an overdose? Let's talk about that
because I have, thank god, never seen anyone overdose. But
what does that look like? I know you as a trauminurs,
you've probably seen that before, right, many times.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
I have, and it's terribly scary. The person is usually
very lethargic. They're unresponsive, they're not waking up when you're
calling them. They are breathing very shallow, they're breathing very slow,
or they're not breathing at all, which can turn them
colors in shades of gray and blue. Sometimes there's like
(11:03):
this bad snoring respirations we call it. And then also
if you can if they are exhibiting signs of respiratory
depression like that, if you look into their eyes and
they have their pupils or pinpoint. That is a classic
sign of an opiate overdose.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Oh my gosh, really, oh my, that sounds so scary.
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
It is, especially when you come across that on your
loved one or your child or something that has has
The can be very scary. So that's why it's so
important to know what the signs are and know what
you're looking at so that you can act immediately, call
nine one one, you know, administer the the loc zone
if you have it.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Now, Is that the same as narcan? Is that what
we're talking about here?
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Yeah, Nartin and the lozone are interchangeable and stuff like that.
And it is the medication to help reverse any kind
of opiate overdose.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I've heard a lot about it, so I'm super curious
about it. I'm glad that you know about it. So
this drug particularly helps reverse the effects, like you said,
of a potential opioid overdose, and it does it in minutes.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Right, It is almost immediate. Is an incredible, incredible medication
to give you almost feel like like God when you're
doing it, because here they are very unresponsive, not breathing, correctly,
you give the medication and they just kind of hopefully
pop right back up, start breathing much better and kind
of have their symptoms resolved. Yeah, it's a great medication.
(12:31):
It is found. We can give it a couple different ways,
but for the public, what we do is we give
it internasally, so in the nose. So they come in
little unit doses that you can get over the counter.
You can get it for free as well as you
could buy it at CBS or any of your drugs firsts.
And what you do is you come across somebody that
(12:51):
you suspect is overdose or is not responsive, not breathing correctly.
You're going to call name one one. You're going to
take your medicate, that medication, put it into their nose,
and then you just push the little a little plunger
and administer the entire dose of those snolozone in the nose.
Sometimes one of the side effects of the nolaczone is
(13:12):
that they can become a little bit agitated when they
come out of their haze there. So then wonderful thing
about the milozone is that if it is okay overdose,
it will save their life. If it is not there's
no adverse reactions or issues that can happen with giving it.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Oh wow, okay, interesting.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah, So even if maybe come across your person that's
not responsive and you don't think that it's okay, it's
necessarily you could still give it and it wouldn't cause
any problems. But if it is an okay overdose, it
will save their life.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Right, Oh my gosh. Yeah, So it's almost like just
try it anyway.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Right, Absolutely, try it anyway, because, like I said, it
is the sunnel, or is in everything, and people are
getting a hold of it. Even if you don't think
that your family member, your child is doing it, they
can still somehow get a hold of it. Unfortunately, so
having it, having it on you, having it on your
person and stuff, just to be able to empower yourself
(14:13):
to be able to save their life.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
No, that's such a great point. So it's almost like
we should just all have it maybe even in our
purse or in our backpack, just or in our house
at least, right, so that in case something happens, I mean,
God forbid.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
God forbid, right, I mean, it's so much better to
have it and not need it than to need it
and not have it. As a nurse, we are always
trying to be prepared for the worst case scenario, and
it seems like if we have what we need, we
won't need it, right like so if yeah so, and
it's so much better to have it there, and maybe
(14:47):
it's a waste and you throw it away after expires
and stuff like that. Then to not have it and
need it because you had a family or a loved
one or your child's friend come over and got into
something you shouldn't have and then overdo Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yeah, so tell me you said that there's ways to
get it for free. How how is that possible?
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Wonderful?
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:09):
So, I know. At Riverside University Health System, in our
emergency room, we have a freedom of nux Zone program.
Anybody can go in no questions, as I would like
to profess a few boxes of one can and we
give it to you for free.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
There.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
You can also go on to back fighte Sentinel dot
org and they have a fine meloc Zone button where
you can click on that and it'll have a map
for all of your local free molock zone distribution centers.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Oh nice, Oh that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
It is. We give it out a lot at events
just to make sure that we can get the word
out to the public and empower them, give them what
they need to help combat this crisis. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, what other online tools are available on are you
hs's website for parents and educator to really like access
on the dangers of opioids and you know, and some
of the things we've talked about today.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Sure at aaruhealth dot org. Be gosh, behavioral Hope, we
have this great substance use prevention tool box and treatment
services so on. There. It has all kinds of different
resources where you can get in the locks on designs
and symptoms classes if you or your loved one would
(16:26):
like to take classes on sentinel and overdoses, how to
talk to your children about it. There's also treatment options
as well. We offer cares program and you can call
the number and get treatment for yourself or your loved
one or at least some resources for that.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Oh my gosh, perfect, that's great. That's so much great information.
Oh let's let's switch gears just for a bit. I
would love to talk about stop the bleed. How is
it defined? And how can people become certified in this?
Really a life skill Stop the bleed?
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Who I love it. I love stop the bleed. I'm
very baddinate about it. For working and yeah, in the
in the EI, working in troll and stuff, we see
bleeding emergencies all of the time. We know that bleeding,
uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death
for adults and children, really, and we know that somebody
(17:22):
can bleed out within three to five minutes, depending on
where they're injured, how badly they're injured. And sometimes our
first responders there are EMTs and paramedics, it takes them
anywhere from seven to ten minutes sometimes to get to
where that person that's happened in the emergency is bleeding. Right,
So really, yeah, so who becomes the first responders?
Speaker 2 (17:43):
You?
Speaker 3 (17:44):
We do? We do all right? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Me?
Speaker 3 (17:46):
You the public?
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Right yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Yeah? So so yeah we do right. And so what
we found is that people don't know what to do. Right.
They want to do something, they really want to intervene
they see somebody hurt. Our whole nature is to go
in there and try to save somebody's life, right, But
then they don't know how to do that or what
to do, or they're overwhelmed with it. Knowing this, the
Department of Defense and Homeland Security really was like, hmm,
(18:13):
what can we do to educate and empower the public
and what to do in breeding emergencies. So they came
up with a courageum and a campaign called Stop the
Bleep and it's really designed to teach people what to
do in that kind of emergency if they're faced with it.
So it's a free class. I mean, the formal classes
(18:33):
are free. They're about forty five minutes to one hour,
and it really you go from I'm scared to touch somebody,
I don't want to do anything, I don't know what
to do, and really being empowered like wow, I know
I can intervene and really help somebody and try to save.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Their life and get certified in this life certain Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yeah, that's what's what's so great about it too. And
you know, as things that you can do and kind
of little reminders and oh I could do that if
you know, I didn't know that would help them before,
if I could just do that, you.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Know, wow, No, that's so cool. I love that. Yeah,
you know, the more you know too, you know, I
think about like when you're younger and you're going to
start babysitting and you they say, oh, well, let's make
sure you know CPR things like that. This is one
of those skills that really everybody should have.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Absolutely, it's just as important as CPR is leading control.
And so that's why we really try to go out
there and teach anybody and everybody. I have taught over
five thousand people in the community.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Wow, that's a huge that's a huge number.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Right, I'm so passionate about it though. We say that
nobody should breed to death, and it's so you know,
and it's so satisfying to see people go into that
class almost scared to interview, and then coming out of
it going wow, that was such a great empower in class.
Now I can really like go out there and not
that I want somebody to get hurt, but I don't
know what to do if I if they do get.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Hurt, you know, yeah, oh my gosh. Okay, So how
old do you have to be to participate? Is question
number one? And then I want to know if there's
a cost to do.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
This very great. So I have taught anywhere from the
Girl Scouts maybe about seven or eight. Oh, I know,
they get all excited sometimes. Yeah, there's like a little
bleeding arm that we utilize and you know, packing the
wound and stuff. So they're very vaccinated and very curious
about it and stuff. So I teach anywhere from seven
(20:34):
or eighteen years old to go into some of the
senior centers and helping them. So it's it's really all ages.
It just depends on kind of their maturity level and stuff.
And it could be tailored too. Right, I'm going to
teach these girl scouts a little bit different skill set
than I would teach somebody else, an adult, you know,
something up their level. But the class is free. Oh wow,
(20:56):
which is Yeah, it's is so great to go out
there and teach free class. You know, sometimes PPR and
first aid and stuff, sometimes they charge for it. But
this campaign and this class is designed to be free
and easy for everybody to accept.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Oh that's so cool. Okay, So how can people learn
more and sign up.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
For this great? God? Yeah, So Stop the bleed dot
org if the official website, you can go on there.
You can search for local classes. That's one way to
do it. Also another way to do it, I know
myself and a lot of other Stop the Bleed instructors
will go to people. Right, we just want to teach
(21:36):
anybody and everybody. So a lot of companies, their safety
divisions have had us come in and teach their employees.
We've gone to churches, we do a lot of high
schools and stuff. So if that's something that you want
in your community again, you can make an inquiry on
stop the Bleef dot org and say I would love
to have a stop the Bleed class for my staff,
(21:58):
and they will find a local Stop the lead instructors
to be able to accommodate that.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Oh my god, I love that. Oh that's so important.
That's I love that it's free. I love that you
don't have to be a certain age like sixteen or eighteen.
You could be as as young as a girl's scout.
You know. That's so cool and this is very crucial.
I feel like I need to sign my whole family
up to do it.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Yes, please, I'll give you my number here. Yeah. I've
gone to even people's neighborhoods and just they've had everybody
gathered mond this essential skill. Because it's great if you
know what to do. But what if you're the one hurt.
You want your friends and your family and your loved ones.
Your coworkers would know what to do right?
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Good point. Yeah, yes, I want the people around me to.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Know what to do exactly. It's been a couple of times,
but I needed the first date of God that my
family members and what to do.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Yes, oh well, this is so informative. I love that.
I'm going to try to make sure I get all
of those websites in the show notes to so that
way we are covered and people know exactly where to go,
also where they can find nar can things like that
before I let you go. I feel like there was
so much valuable information in this, So tell me what
(23:15):
are those three big three takeaways that you hope that
everybody who's listening right now really just it resonates in
their head after this.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Really, what I want people to take away is that
things happen anywhere and everywhere, and sometimes we can prevent overdoses,
we can prevent bleeding emergencies, and sometimes we cannot, right,
but what we can do is educate ourselves, empower ourselves,
give ourselves the tools to be able to help a
(23:46):
person in need and save their life. It's really what
I want people to take away from this. You know,
by educating yourself on sentinel and opiate overdoses and how
to have conversations with your loved ones and also you know,
educating yourself on what to do if somebody is bleeding
to death and stuff. Those kinds, that kind of knowledge
and skills that can be translated into the community and
(24:10):
into world real, real world application and empower you to
be a hero yourself.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Oh I love that. Yes, yes again, key, education, this
the likelihood of an emergency happening around you. I mean,
it's it's going to happen. It's just going to happen.
It might not be a one where you'll need NARCAN,
but it could be. And why not just have all
that education so you're prepared so your family member or
(24:40):
even yourself doesn't have to suffer. So beautifully said. And
I have really enjoyed talking to you, Kelly. Thank you
so much for joining me and becoming part of our
little Covering your Health family.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Wonderful.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
It's been a pleasure to do so. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Hopefully we can have you back on too, because I
know that there's so much to discuss when it comes
to emergency situations. And more so, thank you again for
joining me. And uh, well, I know you're a busy woman,
So I won't hold you any longer. Go and get
that education out in the community.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Yeah, I go.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
She's all right.
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