The staff at a drug rehab must take quick action to spot someone who has overdosed. They must act to stop the overdose.

But they must not relax after the overdose reaction has been halted. Patients must continue to be monitored for potentially dangerous symptoms and “overdose rebound.”

Negligent rehab facilities can be held financially liable when they allow patients who have gotten through an overdose to suffer further harm as they recover.

The Dangers After a Rehab Overdose

Patients may come through a scary overdose, but for the staff at a rehab, the job’s not over. Victims are still at life-threatening risk as they recover.

It’s critical they get to the hospital as soon as possible, but in the meantime, the staff at a drug treatment center must keep up the monitoring. They must keep a close eye on the patient’s breathing rate and other important life signs.

These and other life-saving steps are often necessary, even when an overdose has been halted:

• Calling 911: This should be the very first action staff members should take upon finding a patient has overdosed. But if 911 hasn’t been dialed to this point, it should happen immediately. That ambulance may be a life-saving ride. The sooner paramedics are on the way, the sooner patients can get ER care.
• A Second Dose of NARCAN: One dose of NARCAN can stop an opioid overdose reaction. But those with proper training know that additional doses could be necessary.
• Rebound Overdose: NARCAN used for a patient who overdosed on an Opioid can wear off. It may stop working within 30 minutes in some cases. If there’s still a drug in the patient’s system at this point, another overdose may occur. This is known as a rebound overdose. Breathing issues can quickly return.
• Monitoring Heart Rate: The effects of drugs, especially an opioid, can slow the body’s function, including the respiratory process. Patients in overdose should have their heart rates constantly checked.
• Administering Rescue Breathing: Staff members should be thoroughly trained so they can administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation during an overdose or in the aftermath.
• Placing patients in Recovery Position: Patients should be laid on their sides during recovery so they aren’t at risk of choking on their own vomit.

Support for Families After a Deadly Overdose

Families can earn support for the difficult weeks and months ahead. However, that support isn’t guaranteed. They’ll need strong evidence of a staff member’s negligence and contribution to a deadly overdose.

That may be evidence showing failures in procedure to react to an overdose, or failures in how a patient was protected in the aftermath.

A California Negligent Rehab Wrongful Death lawyer can help you secure the critical evidence needed to hold negligent rehab owners liable.

An experienced lawyer can also make sure they are responsible for these damages and more:

• The cost of a funeral and burial service
• The payment of leftover medical bills
• Replacement of the income a loved one had contributed to support the family
• Support for the loss of guidance, love, and security that families can no longer draw from
• The loss of companionship for parents who lose a child while in a sober living home or an adolescent drug rehab

Contact Us if your Loved One Was Allowed to Die After an Overdose

Families who can prove a drug rehab should have done more to prevent an overdose death can hold facility owners fully responsible. Attorney Martin Gasparian can help with that and make sure families receive the maximum in wrongful death support to protect their futures.

Mr. Gasparian offers a free, confidential consultation to all family members. There’s no obligation, but all families should know that there are no upfront costs to hire a lawyer when they need one. We don’t get paid unless we win the family’s case. Then our fee comes out of the settlement a drug treatment center must provide.