2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 31
BY SENATOR BARROW
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To designate the Louisiana Department of Health as the lead agency over the Interagency
Heroin and Opioid Coordination Plan.
WHEREAS, pursuant to Act No. 88 of the 2017 Regular Session of the Legislature,
(Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:219.5) the Drug Policy Board has established the Advisory
Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Department of Health appointed a suitable individual to
serve as chair of the Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education and
has provided staff support for the council pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:219.5
and further, has taken a lead role in coordinating the collection of data and tackling the
heroin and opioid epidemic through best practices and evidence based strategies by
leveraging its current partnership, resources, and funding awards from several substantial
federal grants; and
WHEREAS, the Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education
completed its first annual Interagency Heroin and Opioid Coordination Plan in December
2018, which was subsequently approved by the Drug Policy Board and made available to
the public in January 2019; and
WHEREAS, the Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education
was unable to acquire all information identified in Act No. 88 of the 2017 Regular Session
of the Legislature including state and parish level data on opioids; progress of current
initiatives in the state relating to the heroin and opioid epidemic, and specific impacts to
agencies in addressing education, treatment including the use of medication assisted
treatment, prevention, overdose, and recovery; and
WHEREAS, the Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education
identified some specific data gaps as well as challenges with existing data collection,
analysis, and reporting related to tracking heroin and opioid use and related consequences
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including, but not limited to:
(1) Number of citations issued due to illegal heroin and opioid possession,
distribution, sales, or trafficking.
(2) Number of arrests due to illegal heroin and opioid possession, distribution, sales,
or trafficking.
(3) Number of convictions for illegal heroin and opioid possession, distribution,
sales, or trafficking.
(4) Number of incarcerated people with active offenses known to be with an opioid.
(5) Costs associated with the citations, arrests, and court cases.
(6) Number of individuals needing treatment for opioid use disorders.
(7) Methadone treatment information.
(8) Number of successful overdose reversals.
(9) Improve data collection on barriers and opportunities for prevention, screening,
intervention, treatment, and recovery at the system of care level.
(10) Number of training curriculums being implemented in Louisiana's educational
institutions that increase knowledge and capacity of educators and administrators in the
identification, screening, interventions, prevention, and treatment of substance use disorders.
(11) Number of college students seen in health or wellness centers for opioid related
instances.
(12) Number of opioid related issues handled by student conduct offices on college
campuses.
(13) Number of opioid related campus law enforcement incidents.
(14) Counts of Naloxone obtained via prescription and billed to a private health
insurance provider or via private payment to a pharmacy.
(15) Comorbidity data of opioid use disorders and HIV, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV),
and other intravenous transmissible diseases.
(16) Metrics assessing the opioid epidemic's impact to families and the labor force.
(17) Data from children's agencies and child welfare.
(18) Expenditures and savings related to opioid use epidemic.
(19) Clinical metrics about opioid related use, deaths, conditions for which they are
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prescribed.
(20) Workers' compensation claims and absenteeism related to opioids.
(21) Substance use and behavioral health integration data gaps within primary care.
(22) Data gaps related to the harm reduction efforts; and
WHEREAS, the Interagency Coordination Plan Workgroup of the Advisory Council
on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education, with resources from the Louisiana
Department of Health, designed and fielded a survey for respondents to describe the nature
of their initiatives to address the heroin and opioid epidemic that garnered a significant
amount, but not all available information related to state and parish level initiatives.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
officially designates the Louisiana Department of Health as the lead authority to establish,
update, and execute the recommendations identified in the annual Interagency Heroin and
Opioid Coordination Plan which is a required product of the Drug Policy Board's Advisory
Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education pursuant to Louisiana Revised
Statutes 49:219.5.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge
and request all public entities, private entities that receive state funding, and self-funded
agencies that regulate in the interest of the public's safety to promptly respond to all data
requests regarding opioid and heroin use prevalence, prevention, education, arrest or
adjudication, treatment, overdose prevention, and recovery from the Drug Policy Board's
Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education or the Louisiana
Department of Health.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that if public entities, private entities that receive
state funding, and self-funded agencies that regulate in the interest of the public's safety
cannot respond to data requests from the Louisiana Department of Health and the Drug
Policy Board Advisory Council due to gaps in opioid and heroin related data collection,
analysis or reporting, the entity will make reasonable efforts to address these gaps through
its own data management processes or will communicate barriers to filling these gaps to the
Drug Policy Board's Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education or
the department for possible collaboration to assist.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge
and request all public entities, private entities that receive state funding, and self-funded
agencies that regulate in the interest of the public's safety to report by January first of each
year the status of all heroin and opioid prevention, education, treatment, overdose
prevention, and recovery initiatives to the Drug Policy Board's Advisory Council on Heroin
and Opioid Prevention and Education or the Louisiana Department of Health.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and the Drug Policy Board's Advisory
Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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