Confidentiality and Follow-Up Considerations
Your facility is being asked to report all drug overdoses (OD’s) to the Okanogan County Public Health District (OCPHD) rather than issuing a “Health Order” mandating this reporting as a notifiable condition. The opioid epidemic like any epidemic, is tracked over time by public health. In addition, although an OD is a medical condition resulting from drug poisoning, some who experience overdoses may have substance use disorders for which treatment can be offered. The opportunity to offer such help is a second important reason for making OD’s notifiable. Okanogan Behavioral Health Care is to receive these reports from OCPHD IF patient signs referral follow-up for substance use disorder and wants help. These procedures are adopted to assure patient confidentiality and compliance with HIPAA and CFR 42.