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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5291
February Session, 2024
LCO No. 1303
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
(PH)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING IMPROVED OPIOID
MONITORING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 19a-127q of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 2
(a) On and after January 1, 2019, any hospital licensed pursuant to 3
chapter 368v or emergency medical services personnel, as defined in 4
section 20-206jj, that treats a patient for an overdose of an opioid drug, 5
as defined in section 20-14o, shall report such overdose to the 6
Department of Public Health in a form and manner prescribed by the 7
Commissioner of Public Health. 8
(b) On and after January 1, 2020, any hospital licensed pursuant to 9
chapter 368v that treats a patient for a nonfatal overdose of an opioid 10
drug, as defined in section 20-14o, shall administer a mental health 11
screening or assessment of the patient if medically appropriate, and 12
provide the results of such screening or assessment to the patient if 13
medically appropriate, or to the patient's parent, guardian or legal 14 Raised Bill No. 5291
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representative, as applicable, if medically appropriate. 15
(c) On or before January 1, 2020, the Department of Public Health 16
shall provide the data reported pursuant to subsection (a) of this section 17
to the municipal health department or district department of health that 18
has jurisdiction over the location in which such overdose occurred, or, 19
if such location is unknown, the location in which the hospital or 20
emergency medical services personnel treated the patient, as the 21
department, in its discretion, deems necessary to develop preventive 22
initiatives. 23
(d) On and after January 1, 2025, any hospital licensed pursuant to 24
chapter 368v that treats a patient for a nonfatal overdose of an opioid 25
drug, as defined in section 20-14o, shall administer, with the patient's 26
consent, a toxicology screening of the patient, if medically appropriate. 27
Such screening shall include, but need not be limited to, screening for 28
opiates, opioids, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, methadone, cocaine, 29
gabapentin, xylazine and any other substance deemed appropriate by 30
the commissioner. Any hospital that administers a toxicology screening 31
pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall report the screening 32
results to the Department of Public Health in a form and manner 33
prescribed by the commissioner. 34
[(d)] (e) Data reported to the Department of Public Health by a 35
hospital or emergency medical services personnel pursuant to the 36
provisions of this section shall at all times remain confidential pursuant 37
to section 19a-25. 38
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2024 19a-127q
Statement of Purpose:
To require each hospital that treats a patient for a nonfatal overdose of
an opioid drug to administer a toxicology screening of such patient if
medically appropriate. Raised Bill No. 5291
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[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]