A federal grant that funds first responder training on how to use overdose reversal drugs like naloxone would be reauthorized under bipartisan legislation introduced on Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
“With deaths from fentanyl on the rise in West Virginia and across the nation, it is essential we provide resources to ensure our first responders have the training necessary to save lives and keep themselves safe,” Sen. Capito said. “I’m proud to join with a bipartisan group of colleagues to put forward a solution which would reauthorize this important program.”
The Safe Response Act, S. 2933, which Sen. Capito cosponsored on Sept. 26 alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), continues support for the grant program that allows states, local government entities, and tribes to train and provide resources to first responders to respond to overdoses, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
If enacted, S. 2933 would provide $57 million per year for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 for the grant program. In addition to the overdose reversal drug training, grants may be used to provide technical assistance and training about how first responders and other members of key community sectors can better protect themselves in the event of exposure to such drugs.
Grants also could be used to establish processes, protocols, and mechanisms for referral to appropriate treatment, which may include an outreach coordinator or team to connect individuals receiving opioid overdose reversal drugs to follow-up services; and to educate first responders and members of key community sectors about the need to follow standard safe operating procedures in instances of exposure to fentanyl, carfentanil, and other dangerous licit and illicit drugs, the summary says.