Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Rooms Act of 2018

Floor Speech

I rise in support of H.R. 5176, Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Rooms Act. This legislation would provide grant funding for emergency departments to develop protocols for treating and discharging patients who have presented with an opioid overdose or are at increased risk for overdose.

These protocols will help increase the uptake of evidence-based treatment services by promoting the initiation of medication-assisted treatment in emergency departments, as well as referral to community- based providers for treatment and recovery support services.

This is particularly important since an individual's willingness to seek substance use disorder treatment often increases immediately following a nonfatal overdose.

The protocols also will help reduce the risk of future fatal overdoses by such individuals by requiring the provision of naloxone at discharge. This helps ensure that these individuals at high risk of overdose have this lifesaving drug available if it is needed to reverse a potentially fatal overdose.

So I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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