The House Public Health Committee heard SB 499, sponsored by Rep. Steuerwald and Rep. Kirchhofer, on involuntary commitment of people with opioid addiction as a pilot program in Allen, Marion, and Wayne counties. The bill also establishes the criteria for the program. It specifies that existing involuntary commitment laws apply to persons at serious risk of injury or death due to abuse of opioids, and provides that resuscitation after administration of an overdose intervention drug is prima facie evidence that a person is at serious risk of injury or death due to abuse of opioids. The bill authorizes an emergency medical services provider to institute a 48-hour immediate detention of a person at serious risk of injury or death due to abuse of opioids. Under current law, only a law enforcement officer may institute an immediate detention, and the time is limited to 24 hours. The bill specifies that certain persons charged with or convicted of a drug offense and who received an overdose intervention drug for an acute opioid overdose; are entitled to priority admission in a forensic diversion program, a pretrial diversion program, or another program, including a drug court program, offering treatment for persons with addictive disorders.
The bill originally provided that the program was part of the Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse, but that portion was removed by amendment. The bill was also amended to remove the language from the involuntary commitment statutes and replace Allen County with Tippecanoe County. Representatives from the Division of Mental Health and Addition, Mental Health American, and Indiana Attorney General’s Office testified in favor of the bill. The amended bill passed 12-0.
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2017/bills/senate/499