O F F I C E O F L E G I S L A T I V E R E S E A R C H
P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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PA 24-120—sHB 5291
Public Health Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E DEPARTMENT OF PUBL IC HEALTH'S
RECOMMENDATIONS REGA RDING IMPROVED OPIOI D
MONITORING
SUMMARY: This act requires hospitals that treat a patient for a nonfatal opioid
drug overdose to administer a toxicology screening if it is medically appropriate
and the patient consents to it. The screening must at least test for opiates, opioids,
benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, methadone, cocaine, gabapentin, xylazine, and
other substances the Department of Public Health (DPH) commissioner deems
appropriate. Hospitals must perform the toxicology screenings for a three-and-a-
half-year period, from January 1, 2025, to August 31, 2028, and report the screening
results to DPH as the commissioner prescribes.
The act also requires the DPH commissioner, by January 1, 2026, and then
annually until January 1, 2029, to report to the Public Health Committee on the
toxicology screening results the department receives. The report must (1) identify
and analyze any trends, (2) identity any benefits patients experienced due to the
screening results when seeking emergency department care for an overdose, and
(3) recommend whether hospitals should continue toxicology screening reporting
after August 31, 2028.
Under the act, the toxicology screening results hospitals report to DPH
generally (1) are confidential and not subject to disclosure, (2) are not admissible
as evidence in any court or agency proceeding, and (3) must be used solely for
medical or scientific research or disease control or prevention purposes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2024
BACKGROUND
Reporting Opioid Drug Overdoses
By law, any hospital or emergency medical services (EMS) personnel that treats
a patient for an opioid overdose must report the overdose to DPH. The department
must then give the data to the municipal or district health department with
jurisdiction over the overdose location, or, if that location is unknown, the location
in which the hospital or EMS personnel treated the patient, as DPH deems
necessary to develop preventive initiatives.
In addition, the law requires hospitals that treat patients for nonfatal opioid drug
overdoses to administer mental health screenings or patient assessments if it is
medically appropriate to do so (CGS § 19a-127q).