Downloads
CS/SB 544 — Drug-related Overdose Prevention
by Appropriations Committee and Senators Boyd and Rouson
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Health Policy Committee (HP)
The bill amends s. 381.887, F.S., to expand access to emergency opioid antagonists by:
- Allowing pharmacists to order, as well as dispense, emergency opioid antagonists with an auto-injection delivery system or intranasal delivery system;
- Providing that specified persons who are authorized to possess, store, and administer emergency opioid antagonists are immune from civil or criminal liability resulting from the administration of such emergency opioid antagonists; and
- Adding specified personnel of a law enforcement agency or other agencies to the list of persons who are authorized to possess, store, and administer emergency opioid antagonists.
The bill amends s. 395.1041, F.S., to require hospital emergency departments and urgent care centers to report the treatment of actual or suspected overdose victims treated at those facilities who were not transported to the hospital or urgent care center by a transport service.
The bill amends s. 381.981, F.S., requiring the Florida Public Health Institute, Inc., to include emergency opioid antagonists as part of substance abuses in its statutorily-required health awareness campaigns.
Additionally, the bill amends s. 1002.20, F.S., to allow a public school to purchase a supply of naloxone from a wholesale distributor or enter into an agreement with a wholesale distributor or manufacturer to receive naloxone at fair-market, free, or reduced prices. The naloxone must be maintained in a secure location on the public school’s premises. The bill also exempts a school district employee from civil liability if he or she administers an approved opioid antagonist to a student in compliance with s. 381.887, F.S., relating to emergency treatment for suspected opioid overdose and s. 768.13, F.S., relating to the Good Samaritan Act.
If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect July 1, 2022.
Vote: Senate 38-0; House 114-0