Rep. Hall Advocates for Treatment of Opioid Overdose Victims
HARTFORD – State Representative Carol Hall (R-59) joined Enfield Police Chief Alaric Fox to advocate for HB 5450 “An Act Concerning Emergency Intervention by a Police Officer when a Person Suffers an Opioid Overdose” during a hearing in the Public Safety and Security Committee on March 10th.
The legislation, proposed in response to the state’s opioid crisis, would amend state law to allow a police officer to detain and transport a person suffering from a narcotic overdose to the hospital for treatment. Currently this is only allowed in cases of psychiatric disability and grave disability, or when a person is a danger to himself or others and needs immediate care.
In her written testimony, Rep. Hall argued, “Though this crisis is ravaging our state, it is present law that any citizen, no matter how bad the condition and regardless of their family’s pleas, after being Narcaned can refuse transport to the hospital. This, at times, has resulted in police officers and medical teams being called multiple times a day in order to administer Narcan to the same victim.”
In his testimony, Chief Fox noted that Connecticut laws regarding protective custody have not kept up with the opioid crisis. Additionally, he noted that Massachusetts and Rhode Island have updated and expanded their statutes to accommodate situations involving opioid overdose.
If the legislation went into effect, the officer would need to submit a written request for the emergency evaluation. The overdose victim would then have to be examined and evaluated within twenty-four hours and could not be detained longer then seventy-two hours.
According to the state’s Chief Medical Examiner, there were approximately 1,200 accidental overdose deaths, over 90% were the result of opioids.
More information about the legislation can be found by searching for House Bill 5450 at www.cga.ct.gov. The legislature convened in regular session on Feb 5th and will continue until May 6th. During even year sessions, such as 2020, legislators can only propose bills relating to fiscal matters other proposals; such as this bill, must be raised through the committee process.