New Epinephrine Training Looks to Benefit Smaller Ambulance Services

Manual injection, as opposed to auto-injection (EpiPens), is cheaper for some departments

FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota Department of Health is increasing training for emergency response teams on using injectable epinephrine.

The manual shot only costs around $400 per dose, compared to $800 per dose used in the auto–injectable epipens.

FM Ambulance has been using needles and syringes to administer doses for the last few years.

Some paramedics say this training could be beneficial for smaller emergency service teams in Cass County.

“They have to have epinephrine on the ambulance, so if they can pay $20 for a dose rather than $350 for a dose, it’s a huge cost savings for these ambulances that don’t have a huge budget anway, and it’s going to make a big difference for these squads,” said Kristi Engelstad, a paramedic with FM Ambulance.

Emergency medical responders and technicians who went through the epinephrine training have to be recertified every two years.