WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) secured Senate passage of their bipartisan Opioid Overdose Data Collection Enhancement Act, which provides federal grants to communities that operate overdose data collection programs, including the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP).
“By expanding access to overdose data collection programs, Congress empowers local communities to face drug abuse trends head on and prevent future fatalities,” Grassley said. “I’m proud to see the Senate unanimously pass our bipartisan legislation to identify and quickly respond to overdoses, and I urge the House to swiftly follow suit.”
“When responding to fentanyl overdoses, an extra minute can save a life,” Cantwell said. “Tracking fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses will help our first responders, law enforcement, and public health professionals better target and prevent OD spikes and surge resources to communities that need them the most.”
Additional cosponsors include Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Download bill text HERE.
Background:
ODMAP is a free, web-based platform that reports suspected fatal and non-fatal overdose events in near-real time. Local agencies can use ODMAP to identify spikes and clusters of overdoses in their communities, neighboring communities and nationwide. While ODMAP is the favored platform, the Justice Department would retain discretion in determining which data collection program is best suited for each applicant when administering grants.
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