Rep’s drug overdose law poised for debate

LYNN – Lynn’s legislators are spearheading a law change requiring emergency room doctors to report drug and alcohol overdoses to state health officials.State Reps. Steven Walsh and Robert Fennell filed the bill with state Sen. Thomas M. McGee.They said the reporting requirement will arm state officials with more statistics that will help them develop more effective drug treatment programs.The bill specifically requires physicians who treat individuals who have overdosed on drugs or alcohol to report their findings within 48 hours of the initial treatment to the state Department of Public Health or the Department of Mental Health.The physician’s report would include the type of drug used in the overdose, the patient’s age, race and gender along with demographic information about the city or town in which the overdose occurred.Disclosing the patient’s name, address, or any other confidential information concerning their identity would be prohibited in the report. A violation of this new reporting rule is punishable by a fine of not less than $50 or more than $100.Fennell said his colleagues worked with Police Chief John Suslak and Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett to craft the reporting requirement.”This legislation will finally give law enforcement, health care providers and legislators real time and accurate information, for the first time, in understanding just how serious and prevalent this problem truly is. The public has a right to know,” Blodgett said.Fennell said the reporting requirement is another tool for local police departments to use in fighting an epidemic of drug overdoses we are seeing both across the state and in Lynn.”This bill will provide information and statistics to the Department of Public Health and the local communities to help them concentrate their resources in areas that have a higher percentage of overdoses,” Fennell said.Emergency room reporting requirements are currently limited to bullet and knife wounds and significant burns treated in emergency hospitals.According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, only two other states in the nation, Texas and Tennessee, have passed laws requiring emergency professionals to report data relating to drug and alcohol overdoses.