OPIOID OVERDOSE ORDERS

 Mono County Health Department issues two new orders regarding opioids

On November 12, the Mono County Health Department issued two public health orders. 

The first requires all healthcare and law enforcement professionals to report opioid overdoses to Mono County Heath Department. 

The second allows anyone to distribute naloxone, a drug that reverses overdoses. 

Reporting opioid overdoses is new territory for the healthcare industry in Mono County. Tom Boo, Director of the Mono County Health Department, said the county has never required the reporting of overdoses for any other drugs. 

Through reporting, Boo hopes to be able to reach out to those who have overdosed and offer help. A person who overdoses has a higher risk of overdosing again than before the overdose. Basically, overdoses lead to more overdoses. 

Although opioid addiction is an epidemic in America, it isn’t clear how much of a problem it is in Mono County. Reporting opioid overdoses will fill the data void and define the scale of the opioid problem. 

Information on opioid prescriptions is already available through the California Department of Health Surveillance Dashboard.

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