Senate Bill S8708A

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8708

SPONSOR: MANNION
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring public
entities to carry opioid antagonists and requires training for staff in
the administration of opioid antagonists

 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring public
entities to carry opioid antagonists and requires training for staff in
the administration of opioid antagonists

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill requires all public facilities to carry opioid antagonists in
first aid kits and requires the education and training of staff persons
employed in such places in the administration of opioid antagonists,
which will allow for deaths due to overdoses to be prevented.

              

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends Section of the Public Health Law by...  The
new subdivisions require a supply of on-site opioid antagonists in
public facilities and having staff members to be trained and educated.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In November of 2019, a young woman named Erin lost her life in Roches-
ter, NY to an accidental Fentanyl overdose. Her relapse after months of
sobriety took her life. Like so many individuals that have fallen victim
to substance use disorder, her life had great meaning and immense worth.
Addiction is a disease that plagues 21 million Americans, and yet only
10% of them receive treatment. This disease is rapidly growing, and more
lives are being lost. Erin lost her life in a public space, and if
Narcan had been readily available and administered to her, her life
could have been saved. Action must be taken to avoid the loss of more
lives, which is the goal of this legislation. By making opioid antag-
onists available in first aid kits, more lives can potentially be saved.

The current opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American
history, which has reached critical levels in New York State.  "Families
Against Fentanyl," an opioid awareness organization, analyzed data from
U.S. government sources in 2020 and 2021 and found that fentanyl over-
doses are now the leading cause of death for Americans aged between 18
and 45. In 2021, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention also
found that 175 people die every day in the United States due to over-
doses, many of which could have been prevented with proper training and
education of how to administer Narcan or naloxone. With thousands of New
Yorkers dying at the hands of this epidemic, it is essential that public
facilities across the state be required to carry, and have personnel
trained in the proper education and administration of, these lifesaving
drugs. Opioid antagonists like naloxone allow for trained administrators
to reverse an overdose on the spot. Research shows that public overdoses
make up a large percentage of the overdose cases statewide. Unfortunate-
ly, access to naloxone is still extremely limited, and establishments
that might be able to offer lifesaving administration of an opioid
antagonist are not required to have these drugs on site. As the state
Department of Health and various agencies take steps towards combating
the issue, it is crucial to strengthen protection measures for our
people. With an increased distribution and education of Narcan, more
lives can potentially be saved. Maintaining on-site opioid antagonists
in public places and equipping staff with the knowledge of administering
these life-saving medications are common sense solutions to potentially
preventing more fatalities. Fatal opioid overdose deaths are preventa-
ble. The keys to lowering the deat h toll are education, which helps to
fight the crippling stigma associated with the disease of addiction,
along with increased availability or distribution of opioid antagonists.
Having Narcan in first aid kits will allow for better access, and thus
more potential for saving lives. We must act now to prevent more deadly
overdoses.

Opioid antagonists, such as naloxone/Narcan or any other similarly
acting drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration,
have proven to be effective in the treatment of an opioid overdose.
Specifically, naloxone is an opioid blocker/receptor, which counteracts
life-threatening opioid overdoses by reversing the depression of the
central nervous system and respiratory system; thus, allowing an over-
dose victim's breathing to be restored. Naloxone is a non-addictive
medication that has no effect if opioids are absent. This ensures that
administration of naloxone has no potential for abuse and is safe for
administration by a person who is educated and trained for moments of
crisis.

This legislation requires all public facilities to carry opioid antag-
onists in first aid kits and requires the education and training of
staff persons employed in such places in the administration of opioid
antagonists and that at least two provisions of such opioid antagonist
be on site at all times: ambulances or first response service providers,
all public elementary and secondary schools, all non-public elementary
and secondary schools, charter schools, universities, school districts
or boards of education, restaurants, bars, construction sites,
libraries, grocery stores, banks, children's overnight camps, government
offices, after-school programs, community centers, publicly and private-
ly operated shelters, correctional facilities, county jails, police
stations, fire stations, pharmacies and doctors' offices, and others.
This legislation sets forth a definition of opioid antagonist to mean
any drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration that, when admin-
istered, negates or neutralizes the pharmacological effects of an opioid
in the body.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.