Legislature(2015 - 2016)CAPITOL 106
01/26/2016 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB23 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 23 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 237 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 23-IMMUNITY FOR PROVIDING OPIOID OD DRUG
3:02:26 PM
CHAIR SEATON announced that the first order of business would be
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 23(JUD), "An Act relating to opioid
overdose drugs and to immunity for prescribing, providing, or
administering opioid overdose drugs."
3:04:19 PM
SENATOR JOHNNY ELLIS, Alaska State Legislature, shared that the
proposed bill represented life or death. He explained that many
presidential nominees from both parties had been discussing this
issue of opioid addiction. He reported that fatal drug
overdoses had increased by more than six times in the past three
decades, and now killed more than 36,000 Americans every year.
In Alaska, heroin use and fatal drug overdose now claimed more
lives than traffic fatalities. The Alaska State Troopers had
identified the increase in heroin abuse and the continued use of
other opiates as a significant concern. This abuse epidemic was
largely driven by the addiction to prescription opioids, and, as
these were now more difficult to obtain, the use of heroin was
increasing. He referenced an article he had read many years
ago, forecasting that the biggest drug problems in the U.S.
would be abuse of prescription drugs, with a subsequent switch
to "black tar heroin." He pointed out that there has not been
much funding for methadone clinics to attempt to wean people off
heroin.
3:08:15 PM
SENATOR ELLIS stated that heroin abuse had exploded in the last
decade, "had moved from the inner city and people of color, low
income folks," and was now in the white, affluent suburbs and
rural areas. He lamented that it had taken this demographic
change for the problem to get attention. Between 2006 and 2013,
the number of first time heroin users nearly doubled, with
almost 80 percent of heroin users stating that they had
previously abused prescription opioids. He reported that heroin
and other opioid abuse had reached epidemic levels in Alaska,
pointing out that this was not an urban phenomenon. Drug
seizures and overdoses had occurred throughout Alaska. He
relayed the police claim that thefts and prostitution were
increasing because of heroin use. He reported that data in 2011
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk
Behavior Survey showed that 15.8 percent of Alaska students
reported use of prescription pills for pain medication that they
stole from parents. These pills were more popular than alcohol,
tobacco, or marijuana. He shared that opioid overdose was
typically reversible through the timely administration of the
medication, Naloxone, and the provision of emergency care.
However, Naloxone is often not available when needed as overdose
most often occurs with friends or family. He shared that
medical professionals were wary of prescribing Naloxone, without
any relief from potential civil liability, and lay persons were
wary of administering it. He stated that proposed SB 23 would
remove the civil liability from a doctor who prescribes and a
lay person who administers Naloxone in those cases of an opioid
overdose. He noted that Alaska would be the 43rd state to pass
this bill. He called this a "life or death step forward." He
noted that the proposed bill was supported by, among others, the
Alaska State Medical Association, the Alaska Police Department
Employee's Association, the Advisory Board on Alcoholism and
Drug Abuse, the Alaska Mental Health Board, and the Alaska
Mental Health Trust Authority. He stated that there was not any
known opposition.
3:12:40 PM
SENATOR ELLIS suggested two amendments for consideration,
stating that the first amendment would add language to the
proposed bill that any pharmacist who dispenses an opioid
overdose drug must educate and train each person to whom the
overdose drug was dispensed on how to administer the drug. The
second proposed amendment would allow pharmacists in Alaska to
prescribe an opioid overdose drug once the pharmacist had
completed an opioid overdose drug training program.
3:13:56 PM
SARAH EVANS, Staff, Senator Johnny Ellis, Alaska State
Legislature, shared that heroin had wreaked havoc on her
hometown of Dillingham. She reported that many states across
the country had enacted laws that increased access to treatment
for opioid overdose as a means to combat increasing overdose
rates. She declared that proposed SB 23 provided immunity from
civil liability to health care providers who prescribe and to
by-standers who administer opioid overdose drugs, such as
Naloxone, in cases of overdose. She described Naloxone as an
opioid antagonist, which was used to counter the effects of
opioid overdoses. She declared that Naloxone was extremely safe
and effective at reversing these overdoses. She discussed the
use of Naloxone in treatment of opioid overdose, stating that it
allowed an overdose victim to breathe normally. She reported
that Naloxone was not a controlled substance, and had no abuse
potential. It would have zero effect if administered to someone
with no opiates in their system. Naloxone was available as a
nasal spray or as an injectable into a muscle or vein. The
efficiency was time dependent, as death from overdose typically
occurred from one to three hours, leaving this brief window for
intervention. Naloxone takes effect immediately and would last
between 30 to 90 minutes. She stated that Naloxone had been
used by emergency medical professionals for more than 30 years
to reverse overdoses, and was regularly carried by medical first
responders. She noted that it could be administered by ordinary
citizens with little to no formal training. She referenced data
from recent pilot programs which demonstrated that lay persons
were consistently successful at safely administering Naloxone.
She pointed out, however, that family and friends were most
often the actual first responders, and were in the best position
to intervene within an hour of the overdose. She shared that
New Mexico had amended its laws in 2001, the first state to do
so, to make it easier for medical professionals to prescribe and
dispense Naloxone without liability concerns, and for lay
administers to use it without fear of legal repercussions. At
the urging of many organizations, which included the U.S.
Conference of Mayors and the American Medical Association, a
number of states had addressed the issue by removing legal
barriers to the timely administration of Naloxone. She
explained that there had been two approaches to this: the
first, made by 41 states and the District of Columbia,
encouraged the wide prescription and use of Naloxone by removing
the possibility of negative legal action against prescribers and
administers of the drug to reverse an overdose; the second
encouraged bystanders to become Good Samaritans by summoning
emergency responders without any fear of arrest or other
negative legal consequences. She relayed that House Bill 369
had been passed previously, similar to legislation passed in 33
other states. She reported that currently 188 community based
overdose prevention programs now distributed Naloxone, and had
provided training in Naloxone use to more than 150,000 people,
resulting in more than 26,000 overdose referrals. She declared
that proposed SB 23 was not a replacement for substance abuse
treatment, drug enforcement, or rehabilitation, as these were
also critical components to fight addiction. The proposed bill
allowed bystanders and doctors the peace of mind to not be held
civilly liable for doing the right thing, providing a lifesaving
tool for an opioid overdose.
3:19:13 PM
MS. EVANS paraphrased from the Sectional Analysis for SB 23,
which read:
Section 1. Amends AS 09.65 by adding a new section
(09.65.340) to give immunity for prescribing,
providing, or administering an opioid overdose drug
Subsection (a) exempts a person from civil liability
if providing or prescribing an opioid overdose drug if
the prescriber or provider is a health care provider
or an employee of an opioid overdose program and the
person has been educated and trained in the proper
emergency use and administration of the opioid
overdose drug
Subsection (b) except as provided in (c) exempts a
person who administers an opioid overdose drug to
another person who the person reasonably believes is
experiencing an opioid overdose emergency if the
person
1. Was prescribed or provided the drug by a health
care provider or opioid overdose program and
2. Received education and training in the proper
emergency use and administration
3:20:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL, in reference to the drug being provided
during overdose, asked whether immunity was granted to an
administering individual who was not trained.
MS. EVANS replied that, under the current iteration of the
proposed bill, immunity was not included for anyone not given
the proper training, but there had been a discussion to re-write
the proposed bill to cover more administers.
CHAIR SEATON directed attention to the proposed bill, page 2,
line 12. He asked to broaden the health care provider
definition, to include all formats to be used in clinical
settings. He acknowledged that this was not quite the same as
the question posed by Representative Wool, and he asked that the
discussion of the proposed bill include the use of both epipens
and nasal sprays.
3:24:06 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES asked that the proposed bill be amended to
include anyone who was present and knew there was an option for
Naloxone.
MS. EVANS acknowledged that a change to the language of the
proposed bill was necessary, and asked to include that the
training was more widely available. She stated that Naloxone
was easy to administer, and that the training only took between
3 to 15 minutes to learn to administer and the subsequent steps.
She reported that the top three things to look for in an
overdose were blue lips and blue fingernails, no verbal
recognition, and no response to a physical shake.
3:26:00 PM
SENATOR ELLIS noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) had just approved administration of Naloxone through nasal
spray. He offered his belief that the existing language of the
proposed bill already covered the different means for
administration of the drug.
3:26:43 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ asked whether subsection (a) also offered
regulatory liability.
SENATOR ELLIS replied that he was not familiar with the
difference between civil and regulatory liability and he asked
for legal advice.
3:27:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked whether a standard follow-up procedure
to an overdose included a discussion with the family for this
option.
MS. EVANS replied that some doctors did prescribe this to family
members of addicts.
SENATOR ELLIS clarified that this was not a standard or required
procedure.
3:29:20 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL asked for clarification whether an
administrator was protected for liability if there was not an
opioid overdose and Naloxone was administered. He asked if the
drug could cause other problems.
MS. EVANS replied that Naloxone was "extremely safe," even if
there were not any opiates in the body.
3:30:27 PM
MS. EVANS moved on and paraphrased from Subsection (c) of the
proposed bill, which read:
Subsection (c) does not preclude liability for civil
damages that are a result of gross negligence or
reckless or intentional misconduct
MS. EVANS stated that the remainder of the proposed bill are
definitions.
3:31:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES expressed some confusion about subsection
(c), as Ms. Evans had just declared that the drug was totally
safe and would not cause any reaction, regardless of whether
there were any drugs in a person's system.
MS. EVANS offered her belief that subsection (c) had been
included for legal purposes. She reaffirmed that Naloxone was
"a very safe drug."
CHAIR SEATON suggested that this had been included to cover the
possibility that "somebody is mad at somebody else and sticks
them in the neck with an epipen," an action of intentional
misconduct which would not be waived.
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES responded that this was difficult for her
to perceive and she would like to hear a legal response.
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ directed attention to page 2, and read:
"this section does not preclude liability for civil damages that
are the result of gross negligence or reckless or intentional
misconduct."
3:34:10 PM
MEGAN WALLACE, Attorney, Legislative Legal and Research
Services, Legislative Affairs Agency, responded that the
exceptions to an immunity statute for gross negligence or
reckless or intentional misconduct allowed for civil damage
suits to move forward. She described, during an act when
someone had intentionally hurt someone else, this subsection
would allow the action for damages to move forward.
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ asked whether the proposed bill allowed
pharmacists to dispense Naloxone to family members, friends,
care givers and personal physicians.
MS. EVANS explained that currently a pharmacist could not
prescribe the drug, but could fill a prescription from a doctor.
She stated that an upcoming proposed amendment would allow for a
pharmacist to prescribe the drug. She referenced an earlier
bill, Senate Bill 71, that changed the procedure allowing a
pharmacist to administer vaccine.
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ suggested that an amendment was necessary
to allow for third party prescription.
3:38:04 PM
CHAIR SEATON directed attention to page 3, line 1, of the
proposed bill, and offered his belief that should a physician
"wish to put a prescription out for a standing order, the entire
family could be trained" by the pharmacist.
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL asked whether any states had this drug
available without prescription, comparing Maloxone to a
defibrillator which could be maintained at home.
MS. EVANS offered her belief that all states mandated the need
for a prescription, although this would change with the upcoming
proposed amendment which would allow pharmacists to dispense the
drug without a prescription.
SENATOR ELLIS reported that Italy did not require a
prescription.
MS. EVANS added that the drug has been sold over the counter in
Italy "since the 1980s with zero issues ever."
SENATOR ELLIS noted that all states require prescriptions.
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ pointed out that in one of the articles
[included in members' packets] the drug was now offered without
a prescription in selected Rhode Island pharmacies, and that
another state had provided Naloxone to all of its police
departments.
MS. EVANS stated that it is common for police officers,
emergency medical technicians, and fire fighters to carry
Naloxone, even in Alaska.
3:43:16 PM
BRADLEY GRIGG, Treatment & Recovery Section Manager, Division of
Behavioral Health, Department of Health and Social Services, in
response to a question by Representative Vazquez regarding
regulatory liability, he asked to defer to Dr. Butler.
3:45:44 PM
MICHELE STUART MORGAN, Juneau Stop Heroin Start Talking, shared
a story about softball players in Juneau who had died of heroin
overdoses. She reported that the Juneau Police Department
estimated that 200 - 400 people were taking heroin every day in
Juneau, and offered an analogy of the proposed bill to a fire
extinguisher that could save another person.
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked about the origin of the drugs, as well
as any recognition by parents, in order to better understand
this problem.
MS. MORGAN discussed the cost and the marketing of heroin in
Juneau. She remarked that the use of the drugs, with the
resulting addiction, often start as a result of sports injuries.
3:51:02 PM
PAULA COLESCOTT, M.D., reported that she is a substance abuse
physician and has dealt primarily in addiction since 2007, and
the majority of her practice is with individuals who are heroin
or opioid dependent. Within her review of the data and the
literature regarding Alaska, she noted that between 2008 and
2012 there were 72 drug overdoses, and it does not include the
23 overdoses in 2013. She said her work in a substance abuse
center where they do partial hospitalization, intensive
outpatient care, and outpatient care and do provide either
Vivitrol, which is an injectable, long acting agent called
Naltrexone, as well as supplying Suboxone. She shared instances
of overdoses as related to her by other addicts. She said that
many users know about the overdose reversal drugs, noting that
she currently had two patients on long term injectable reversal
agents. She expressed concern for the current overdose deaths
as there was now a transition from opium analgesics to heroin,
and that the purity of heroin was now erratic, hence even more
deadly. She relayed that there were synthetic drugs now
available that were very dangerous. She reported that there
were often cases where she gave intravenous overdose reversal
drugs for restoring respiration that were double the dosage of
the nasal sprays. She reported that these reversal drugs acted
immediately and were lifesaving. She mused that she could not
visualize that there would be any legal implication, as any
physician offering appropriate medication for the appropriate
reason will not be affected by a medical board investigation.
She stated that opiate withdrawal does not kill people, it was
the opiate that kills. She expressed her support for the
proposed bill.
3:59:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL asked about blocking agents and reversing
agents, and whether Naloxone had a wide application of blockage
to opioids.
DR. COLESCOTT explained the treatment procedures for an
overdose, and answered that it is a reversal agent for any of
the opiates.
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked about the increase in use.
DR. COLESCOTT said that the increased use of prescription drugs
has increased this dependence on opiates. She reported that 29
percent of the substance abuse assessments at her clinic were
opiate related, and included many patients using a mixture of
opiates.
DR. COLESCOTT, in response to Representative Tarr, said that an
extended use pattern was common, and she offered some examples.
4:08:31 PM
SARAH SPENCER, Medical Doctor, South Peninsula Hospital, said
she is board certified in addiction medicine and that she offers
treatments to people with addictions. She reported that she
distributes Naloxone rescue kits to her patients, starting about
six months prior. She stated that these rescue kits are also
kept in stock in the emergency room, although only one in five
people would seek treatment for their addiction. She pointed
out that the EMS response time could be prolonged and this was
the time period these medicines could be most helpful. She
relayed there were not many medications that allowed for "third
party prescribing." She compared these prescriptions to
sexually transmitted diseases, for which she would give
prescriptions to individuals to share with their partners. She
noted that she was not able to legally give the Naloxone except
to the individual. She suggested community education seminars
as a means to spread the programs for people to learn how to use
the medication, as well as to sometimes be enabled to receive
the prescription. She noted that in some states, pharmacists
are allowed to write the prescriptions. She lauded the proposed
bill as a way to allow for these distributions. She pointed out
that the places with the highest distribution of Naloxone had a
reduction in overdose death rates of 50 - 80 percent, without
any change in the use of opiates. She declared that the
medication has been shown to be incredibly safe, with no
increase in risk taking behavior. She shared that there has not
been any deaths among those patients that had refused to be
taken to the hospital after receiving Naloxone. She declared
there was almost unanimous support for increased access to
Naloxone by almost every major medical association in the United
States.
DR. SPENCER, in response to Chair Seaton, offered her belief
that the language in the proposed bill would work in all the
situations she had described. She pointed out that a person
overdosing is not able to give themselves the medication, so it
is necessary for someone else to be involved; therefore, the
medication should be available to anyone around a user.
CHAIR SEATON asked to ensure that the medical community was
secure with making these prescriptions. He stated that it was
necessary to ensure a protocol or a standing order which gave
the statutory authority and the comfort level to doctors. He
wanted to know what language was sufficient for the medical
community.
DR. SPENCER offered her belief that the language of the proposed
bill covered the needs. She suggested that an amendment
allowing a pharmacist to prescribe would be welcome, would allow
the pharmacist to counsel its use, and would increase access,
especially for those without insurance.
4:21:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL asked what the mechanism would be for
distribution by a pharmacist.
4:21:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ relayed that the literature indicates a
blanket prescription is available, although she was unsure
whether any statutory changes were necessary.
CHAIR SEATON spoke about the possibility of a protocol or a
standing order.
4:22:40 PM
DANIEL NELSON, Alaska Pharmacist Association, offered support to
the proposed bill by the Alaska Pharmacist Association and
opined that pharmacists everywhere would also support this bill.
He shared that this was a national epidemic and pharmacists are
doing their best "to become part of the solution and not
furthering the problem." He reported that although there are
risks associated with many drugs dispensed from pharmacies,
there is not any risk with Naloxone. He offered his belief that
this is a great service to the community and creates a win - win
situation. He explained that a standing order is a
communication between a licensed medical practitioner and a
health care provider that allowed for the prescription. This
would be under the supervising physician's license, although the
supervising physician would not need to have a direct
interaction with the patient.
CHAIR SEATON asked to clarify that, as a pharmacist, the
language in the proposed bill is enough to make him comfortable
to exercise the established protocol.
DR. NELSON replied that the proposed amendment does make the
standing order no longer necessary as a requirement. He spoke
in support of the elimination of another unnecessary, artificial
barrier that did nothing to protect patient safety.
CHAIR SEATON asked what sort of training, if any, regarding
administering Naloxone should be included in the proposed bill.
DR. NELSON offered his belief that the Board of Pharmacy could
clarify any necessary training, and it could be satisfied with a
video teleconference, webinar, or something similar with a
competency test at the conclusion. He opined that it is not
important for this to be done in-person.
CHAIR SEATON directed attention to page 2, line 3 of the
proposed bill, which read: "educated and trained in the proper
emergency use and administration of the opioid overdose drug."
He asked to ensure that pharmacists are comfortable that this
statutory language gives them the authority to use technology to
provide training to the person receiving the prescription.
DR. NELSON expressed his agreement and reiterated his strong
support of the bill and the [upcoming] proposed amendment.
4:30:35 PM
DR. JAY BUTLER, Chief Medical Officer/Director, Division of
Public Health, Central Office, Department of Health and Social
Services, reported that, in 2015, 54 Alaskans died of
prescription pain reliever overdose, and 33 more died of heroin
overdose. He shared that he rarely used the term "epidemic,"
defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
as "an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a
disease above what is expected." He expressed his agreement
that the data on the health effects of opioid use in Alaska now
reflected "an epidemic of disability and death caused by heroin
and non-medical use of prescription opioid pain relievers." To
address this epidemic, he proposed a three pronged strategy:
prevent, reduce, and reverse. He relayed that opioid dependency
could be prevented by ensuring safe and appropriate use of
prescribed opioids for their important role in managing acute
pain and providing comfort care. He stated that the majority of
people using heroin first began by using opioids in the form of
prescription pain relievers. He expressed his agreement that
there are economic drivers increasing the use of heroin
throughout Alaska and the rest of the country. He stated that
dependency could be reduced by recognizing this as a medical
condition requiring medication assisted treatment and
counseling. He declared that respiratory depression, the
mechanism of death in opioid overdose, could be reversed through
timely administration of Naloxone. He reported that a major
problem from opioid use is tolerance, as a higher dose is needed
over time; therefore, the margin of safety becomes narrower at
higher doses. He stated that Naloxone needs to be administered
as soon as possible after an overdose to be effective. He
shared that a number of states have instituted measures to
increase access to Naloxone so that it could be administered by
any bystander, as soon as the overdose is recognized, while
waiting for the arrival of emergency medical treatment. He
declared that proposed SB 23 seeks to remove barriers to
Naloxone use in Alaska, while providing protection against civil
liability. He commented that there are a number of good on-line
public training materials for administering Naloxone.
4:35:56 PM
CHAIR SEATON asked for clarification to the possibility of the
state medical officer offering a broad license [to pharmacists]
throughout the state.
DR. BUTLER replied that Rhode Island has this system, and that
he would follow up on this possibility.
CHAIR SEATON expressed his appreciation for the support in
finding something safe, effective, and available throughout the
state.
4:37:10 PM
GARY MILLER shared an anecdote of the drug overdose death of his
daughter, and declared that the proposed bill offered an
opportunity to save other lives.
4:38:55 PM
TRACY WIESE, Family Nurse Practitioner, Alaska Nurse
Practitioner Association, stated that the Alaska Nurse
Practitioner Association was "absolutely in support of the
bill." The Association encourages that registered nurses be
specifically included within the bill language. She said that
as a prescriber, the proposed bill would make her feel better
from a liability perspective.
4:40:42 PM
LYNN HARTZ, Family Nurse Practitioner, Alaska Nurse Practitioner
Association, spoke in support of the proposed bill, noting that
the number of deaths from opioid pain reliever overdose had
surpassed the number of deaths from motor vehicle accidents.
She offered her belief that all of the health care programs in
this area would benefit from SB 23.
4:42:22 PM
KATIE BOTZ shared an anecdote of the loss of a friend and co-
worker by overdose. She offered her belief that this would help
friends to help friends.
4:45:15 PM
JANEY HOVENDEN, Director, Division of Corporations, Business,
and Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce, Community &
Economic Development, was available for questions.
4:45:28 PM
SARA CHAMBERS, Operations Manager, Division of Corporations,
Business, and Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce,
Community & Economic Development, was available for questions.
CHAIR SEATON noted that the committee had been discussing civil
liabilities and regulatory liability, asked whether they had any
answers regarding regulatory liability, how it would be
affected, or not affected, by this bill, and what that would
mean.
MS. HOVENDEN answered said that she would respond by e-mail to
the questions for regulatory liability.
MS. CHAMBERS replied they would want to consult with the State
Medical Board, the Board of Pharmacy, and the Board of Nursing
to better provide a comprehensive response.
CHAIR SEATON agreed. He said he wanted it on the record that he
will be looking for the email and hard copy response to put
before the committee for discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ noted that the current draft of the bill
exempts individuals from civil liability, but it does not
address the possibility of regulatory action by the Board of
Pharmacy or the Board of Nursing, and so forth.
4:47:36 PM
CHRISTINA LOVE, Advocate and Recovery Coach, AWARE, shared that
she had once had an unintentional overdose, noting that an
unintentional overdose is the leading cause of preventable death
in the U.S. She declared that many opioid users do not have
family or health care, and that there is not a 24 hour pharmacy
in Juneau. She stated that expanded access to this drug would
"send a statement to the public," "We are worth it, and every
life matters." She declared that "the only side effect to this
drug is life." She mused that many lives would have been saved,
had the proposed bill been passed in the last year.
4:49:37 PM
JANET MCCABE, Chair, Partners For Progress, stated that her
organization is in full support of proposed SB 23, and expressed
her support for this early session hearing for the bill. She
declared that untreated overdoses are taking lives in rural and
urban communities. She shared an update regarding the work by
her organization with a family nurse practitioner for use of an
injectable opioid antagonist drug to help cut the craving for
opioids, as well as alcohol. She offered her belief that it was
best for those with a record of being serious addicts to use
this drug before release from prison, so that it was not
necessary to detox. She opined that this could save a lot of
money as it would reduce the incidence of recidivism.
CHAIR SEATON asked about the length of action for this drug.
MS. MCCABE replied that it was injected every month, and that
its cost was covered by Medicaid.
4:53:49 PM
CHAIR SEATON closed public testimony after ascertaining that no
one further wished to testify. He advised that SB 23 would be
held over.
CHAIR SEATON declared that this proposed bill is an opportunity
to step up to prevention, and keep people from dying. He stated
that there would be an additional investigation into changing
the opioid prescriptions data base to require the immediate
posting of opioid prescriptions, instead of the currently
required monthly posting. He pointed out that there is not even
a requirement to check the database before prescribing. He
suggested that there be a "push system" and a civil penalty
administered through the occupational licensing boards for not
checking the database prior to prescriptions. He allowed that
over prescription of opioids was a problem with severe
consequences.
4:58:09 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL reflected on the approximately 80 overdoses
in the past year, noting that there were almost 60 overdoses
from prescription drugs. He declared that prescription drugs
are still part of the equation, and opined that over
prescription and lack of training all fit together "as far as
prevention."
[SB 23 was held over.]