Venkat, Flick introduce bipartisan legislation to raise awareness on opioid overdoses and save lives
Rep. Arvind Venkat January 22, 2025 | 12:04 PM
HARRISBURG, Jan. 22 – State Reps. Arvind Venkat and Jamie Flick have introduced a bipartisan bill that would create and disseminate materials integral to recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose to empower Pennsylvanians to save the lives of their fellow citizens.
House Bill 269 would require Pennsylvania’s Department of Health to develop a poster explaining:
- the signs of an opioid-related overdose.
- what to do in the event of an opioid-related overdose.
- where to find an opioid antagonist such as Naloxone.
- where to find additional resources and information.
The poster would be made available online to download for private use and displayed in public places to increase awareness of how to recognize and respond to opioid-related overdoses.
“Our country and state remain mired in the deadly grip of opioid addiction, so providing resources to decrease loss of life is essential,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “I’ve treated countless patients suffering from overdoses as an emergency physician, and informing family members that their loved ones have passed is truly heartbreaking.
“I want to thank Rep. Flick for being a co-prime sponsor on this legislation, which strives to save the lives of as many Pennsylvanians as possible, and the Stop the Judgement Project, led by neighbors of mine in Franklin Park, for their tireless advocacy that led to this legislation.”
“I could not be more thrilled to work with Rep. Venkat as a co-prime sponsor of this legislation, given the need for awareness in this opioid war. It has ravaged the commonwealth and the entire nation,” added Flick, R-Lycoming. “I look forward to working with both parties in this session.”
Flick is one of only two state representatives to serve on the PA Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust’s Board of Trustees. The group works with the commonwealth’s attorney general to distribute $1 billion in settlement funds to state entities working to abate the opioid crisis.
A similar bill passed the state House 187-14 in the previous legislative session, and an example of the proposed poster outlined in the bill can be found here.