Maryland
Gov. Moore signs law requiring Maryland hospitals to test for fentanyl
College of Maryland scholar advocates for fentanyl testing after boyfriend’s demise
A Maryland man’s deadly overdose is now the driving drive behind a brand new invoice that may require fentanyl testing in all native hospitals. FOX 5’s Jacqueline Matter spoke with the person’s accomplice – UMD graduate scholar Melanie Yates – who is popping her ache into motion.
BETHESDA – Because the nation grapples with an ongoing fentanyl disaster, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has signed a first-of-its-kind invoice into regulation that goals to avoid wasting lives.
It might require hospitals to check for fentanyl throughout a toxicology report. The invoice is called the Josh Siems Act.
Josh died final yr from a fentanyl overdose on his thirty first birthday, however the drug by no means confirmed up in his system as a result of some hospitals aren’t testing for it. Now, in just some brief months, that can all change.
Josh Siems spent hours within the hospital after an obvious overdose together with his girlfriend Melanie Yates by his facet.
“The docs finally got here in and mentioned the swelling in his mind can be an excessive amount of and that he wouldn’t survive it,” mentioned Yates.
Medical doctors say fentanyl didn’t present up in Josh’s system, however Yates says that’s as a result of he was by no means examined for it. Now simply seven months after his demise a grieving girlfriend is popping her loss into regulation.
“This frankly shouldn’t have been attainable to get by means of the way it did and the way rapidly it did,” mentioned Yates. “Now his title is regulation and I feel this regulation will assist individuals dwell and get a second likelihood at life.”
Proper now, most hospitals solely take a look at for what is called the “Federal 5” which consists of marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, PCP and opiates. Shifting ahead, hospitals in Maryland should display screen for fentanyl in sufferers with a identified or suspected overdose.
State delegate Joe Vogel sponsored the invoice and says it additionally goes a step additional, requiring hospitals to report that knowledge to the state.
“I went to a hospital not removed from right here in Montgomery County,” he mentioned. “They’ve already seen an uptick in constructive fentanyl take a look at outcomes because of testing for fentanyl.”
The brand new regulation would be the first within the area and second within the nation, behind California. There may be hope it might additionally assist handle an even bigger drawback.
“Sufferers with suspected drug overdoses solely 5 % of them are being examined for fentanyl in hospitals and of these exams near 50 % are coming again constructive which suggests we’re considerably undercounting fentanyl circumstances in our state and actually throughout the nation,” mentioned Vogel.
This might result in a clearer image on the variety of overdose deaths straight associated to fentanyl.
“It will be devastating to see that uptick however now we have to know the reality,” Vogel added. “Now we have to know simply how severe this disaster is and now we have to have that correct well timed knowledge from throughout the state.”
With fentanyl being the main explanation for overdose deaths within the state of Maryland, Yates hopes her accomplice’s demise gained’t be in useless.
“I actually simply assume that he knew he was meant to make extra of his life and at the very least on this approach he’s,” she mentioned.
Vogel tells FOX5 he acquired unanimous assist on this invoice with each single Republican and Democrat voting in favor. This invoice will go into impact October 1st and Yates says they’re hoping to take an analogous invoice to the federal stage.