Good morning Westfield! This week I held my first session of office hours at the Westfield Athenaeum. It’s a great chance for me to hear
from all of you! I’ll be there on the first Monday of every month from 11am to noon. Stop by and say hello next month!
On Tuesday I had the pleasure of speaking at a meeting of the Tuesday Afternoon club. I was invited to speak on the topic of threats to United States security in 2016. I pulled from my experiences in the military for this discussion.
Wednesday was a busy day at the State House in Boston. The house voted on two particularly interesting bills. The first was a bill regarding the regulation of ride sharing companies, such as Uber and Lyft. The second bill addressed the ongoing opioid problem in the Commonwealth.
The ride sharing bill, H. 4049 seeks to provide some regulation for the growing ride for hire industry. Although the bill passed in the House it still needs to be heard by the Senate. The bill would create a Ride for Hire division under the Department of Public Utilities. Additionally, the bill will require drivers to undergo background checks with the state as well as the company they drive for, although fingerprints will not be required. The bill will also require the cars used by drivers to undergo a safety inspection once a year. Additionally, this bill will prevent ride for hire cars from picking people up from taxi stands at places like Logan Airport and the Boston Convention Center. It would also
prevent these companies from hiking up their prices during weather emergencies and similar events. It also sets up channels to handle
any violations by these companies and their drivers.
The second bill of note this week was H. 4056. This bill, as I mentioned, sets out to address the opioid epidemic in our Commonwealth. One of the major provisions of this bill is a limit on the first time prescription of opiates. This limit will allow a seven day supply first time prescription of opioid drugs. This seven day limit will apply to any opioid prescriptions for minors. Some exceptions to this limit are included, such as prescriptions for cancer and chronic pain, among others. The bill creates other changes for healthcare professionals
regarding opioid prescription.
Doctors and pharmacists must warn patients about the dangers of opioid addiction. They must also check each patient’s prescription history before they prescribe and opioid medication. Patients will also have the option to voluntarily opt out of being prescribed opioids.
Another element to this bill seeks to address drug abuse among youth through verbal screenings in schools. These screenings will be conducted by professionals and would take place in two different grade levels. Parents and students will have the option to opt out of these screenings. Students found to be at risk of, or struggling with, addiction would be referred to the necessary resources and counseling. The bill also incorporates opioid addiction education into annual sports training and drivers education.
This bill also requires health care professionals to conduct a substance abuse evaluation on all patients who enters the emergency room for opioid overdose. This evaluation will be conducted within 24 hours and before the patient is discharged. I was disappointed to see that this bill does not do more to address treatment for those suffering from opiate addiction. Specifically, I would have liked to see this legislation do more to address the lack of beds in treatment facilities, specifically in Western Massachusetts. I am remaining hopeful that the budget will do more to address this issue.
That’s about all for this week Westfield! As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions, issues, and concerns at
[email protected] or at my district office phone number at 413-572-3920
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
