The Pennsylvania state Senate has given unanimous approval to a bill introduced by Senator Doug Mastriano aimed at improving the tracking of drug overdoses across the state. The legislation, known as Senate Bill 89, seeks to ensure that data from emergency medical services (EMS) providers on known or suspected drug overdoses is included in a statewide mapping system.
Senator Mastriano explained the need for this legislation: “When EMS personnel encounter an overdose, that information doesn’t automatically go into the statewide tracking system. I want to close this gap in the data collected by the overdose mapping system so health care professionals and law enforcement personnel have access to the best available information.”
Previously, Mastriano had introduced legislation that resulted in Act 158 of 2022, which established a statewide mapping system for tracking overdoses. The new bill mandates collaboration between the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania State Police to incorporate real-time overdose reporting by EMS providers into this system.
Under Senate Bill 89, EMS providers would be required to report specific details about each overdose incident. This includes the date and time of occurrence, location, substances involved, any administered overdose reversal drugs, and whether the outcome was fatal or nonfatal.
Mastriano emphasized the potential life-saving impact of this enhanced data collection: “The statewide overdose mapping system can save lives by sharing important information with law enforcement and health care professionals on the front lines in this fight. The ability to save lives is only as strong as the information in the system. My bill would strengthen the overdose tracking system and enable frontline personnel to save more lives.”
Following its passage in the Senate, Senate Bill 89 will now proceed to the state House for further consideration.
Residents interested in learning more about Senator Mastriano can visit his website at SenatorMastriano.com or follow him on Facebook at Facebook.com/SenatorDougMastriano.
For additional information, contact Don Beishl at 717-787-6701.
