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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 12, 2023 11:24 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Doug Mastriano and Sen. Michele Brooks |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Fentanyl Testing in Hospitals |
| In the near future, we plan to introduce legislation that will require a general acute care hospital to include testing for fentanyl in a urine drug screening if the hospital conducts a urine drug screening to assist in diagnosing the patient’s condition. Fentanyl is now the number one cause of death for Americans ages 18-45. This overdose crisis has affected communities across the commonwealth. Testing for fentanyl can play a key role in saving someone’s life. It can alert a provider that a patient has fentanyl in their system, warn a patient they have ingested fentanyl, or connect people to treatment or a prescription for naloxone. Most current routine hospital drug screens do not capture fentanyl use and some patients are unaware that they are using fentanyl, as it is increasingly found in methamphetamines, cocaine, and counterfeit drugs such as Xanax. Fortunately, rapid fentanyl testing does exist. There are three low-cost reagents currently approved by the FDA that can be used with a chemical analyzer to determine if an individual has fentanyl in their system. Our legislation will ensure that fentanyl is included in drug toxicological testing at all hospitals. Please join us as a co-sponsor to combat the fentanyl overdose crisis and potentially save lives. |
Introduced as SB683