Rep. Staneski Backs Bill On Opioid Reform

From The Office Of State Rep. Pam Staneski: State Rep. Pam Staneski (R-119) strongly supported a package of legislative reforms in the Public Health committee focusing on efforts to reduce the potential for people to become addicted to opioid medications that could cause a life-threatening overdose building on the landmark opioid addiction legislation passed last year.

“The General Assembly has shown a continued willingness to combat this deadly crisis with legislation in 2015, 2016 and now this year. We will not stop until all possible preventive options have been exhausted to fight this epidemic,” said Rep. Staneski. “I am very proud to be working in a bi-partisan manner as we attempt to make it easier for people to find treatment, ensuring consistent insurance coverage for that treatment, and encouraging more public awareness about the dangers of opioids."

The bill, HB-7010, An Act Concerning Opioids and Substance Use Disorders makes several new changes to prevent entry prescription opioid drug abuse. The legislation passed 26-0 and now moves to the House of Representatives for debate.

Provisions include:

• Allows residential substance-abuse treatment facilities to commit people who have repeatedly overdosed on drugs or been administered an opioid antagonist, instead of only those who are intoxicated at the time they apply for such treatment
• Requires the state, October 1, 2017 to approve a one page fact sheet on opioid drugs developed by the Connecticut medical Society and make it available for pharmacists and health care providers to disseminate the patients
• Requires the state (by January 1, 2018) to establish a publicly of a prescribing practitioner to obtain certification
• Requires the state to post (by October 1, 2017) on its website the ability of a prescriber practitioner to obtain certification to prescribe take all medications for treating opioid use disorders
• Require certain individual and group health insurance to cover inpatient substance-abuse services for a beneficiary diagnosed with a substance use disorder until his or her condition is stabilized
• Requires the state to convene a working group to advise the department on legislative and policy changes enabling first responders or healthcare providers to safely dispose of opioid drugs upon a person's death and report to the legislature’s Public Health committee by February 1, 2018.
• Allows emergency responders to administer any brand of opioid antagonist in whatever form or method of administration they deem appropriate

In 2015, State Rep. Staneski co-sponsored Public Act 15-198, a landmark law that required education for doctors and other prescribers on prescription drug abuse, cracked down on "doctor shopping" for prescription drugs, and allowed pharmacists to prescribe life-saving anti-overdose drugs like Narcan over the counter. In 2016, Pam co-sponsored legislation Public Act 16-43, making Connecticut the second state in the nation to limit first-time opioid prescriptions to a seven day supply with exemptions for chronic pain as a way of reducing the number of unused and expired drugs in our communities.

According to the Office of the State Medical Examiner, opioid-related overdose deaths skyrocketed in Connecticut with the total number at 917 for 2016. It’s at least the fifth year in a row that has seen a large increase in opioid deaths in the state; 2015 had 729 deaths and 2012 saw 357.

Image Courtesy Of The Office of State Rep. Staneski