State Rep. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, today announced House passage of the Opioid Data and Communication Expansion Act, legislation she sponsored to increase data collection related to the opioid crisis. The bill was approved among several others after the House returned to work this week upon the election of a new speaker.
House Bill 535 would require hospitals to report monthly to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) the number of drug overdoses brought to the hospital and whether the overdose was fatal or non-fatal. It also requires the Ohio Department of Public Safety to submit to ODH non-identifying information related to the administration of naloxone, such as location, date, and number of doses applied.
“As the result of numerous conversations with Wood County ADAMHS Director Tom Clemons and area experts, I learned just how little information they have at their disposal to attack the opioid crisis,” Gavarone said. “Ensuring more data is collected and distributed will give our local and state partners a better picture of what is going on across Ohio to determine what is working and where we need to improve so that we can make an even bigger impact in our communities.”
The dispensing of naltrexone (Vivitrol) would also be monitored within the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) under the bill. The data collected would be broken down according to county and sent to each county’s Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Board (ADAMHS) on a monthly basis in order to properly allocate resources to services based on need in each specific area.
This information would help expand education, intervention, treatment and recovery supports, while prioritizing services where needed most.
House Bill 535 now awaits consideration by the Ohio Senate.
