Hospitals - Opioid Overdose and Opioid-Related Emergency Medical Conditions - Treatment

This Maryland law requires hospitals to create specific emergency protocols for treating patients suffering from opioid overdoses or related medical conditions. To support this, hospitals must keep certain approved medications on hand and agree to administer them if a doctor recommends it and the patient consents. The bill also mandates that hospitals connect patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder to community treatment providers and peer support specialists before they are discharged. Additionally, the law directs the Governor to use funds from the Opioid Restitution Fund to pay for hospital training and resources needed to implement these new requirements.