Anesthesiologists occupy a unique position to address the opioid epidemic, and ASA's Committee on Trauma and Emergency Preparedness (COTEP) is initiating a project to help them do just that. We are qualified to prescribe and administer opioids. We are also trained to manage opioid side-effects, including overdose, and provide naloxone and resuscitation. As an anesthesiologist and mom, I rescued my opioid-overdosing son successfully on multiple occasions. Just imagine the emotions felt performing rescue maneuvers on your child, or conversely being unskilled and not knowing what to do until help arrives. Ultimately, on the crest of this wave of opioid destruction, both of my sons succumbed to this addiction. I am not alone in this loss. Tens of thousands of parents have suffered such devastating circumstances. We have reached a critical point of this national anguish. It is not just limited to loss of life at the scene. The suffering encompasses...

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