Bipartisan Jesse’s Law can help prevent opioid overdoses” U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg Column

From the Detroit Free Press:

In March 2016, a young woman with great potential named Jessie Grubb died of a drug overdose. Growing up in West Virginia, Jessie was a runner, cheerleader, theater member, and at the top of her class in test scores. She had a bright future.

After being sexually assaulted her freshman year in college, Jessie looked to heroin to try to escape the trauma. Jessie battled this addiction for nearly seven years, going in and out of rehab four times. Following her time at a treatment facility in Michigan, Jessie was turning her life around and making a fresh start in a new state. She had been clean for six months. While training for a marathon —  her first — Jessie developed a running-related infection in her hip and required surgery

Her parents, David and Kate Grubb, made the trip to Michigan to be with Jessie for the operation. They each informed the hospital that she was a recovering addict and should not be prescribed opioids. Tragically, that message never made it to Jessie’s discharging physician. Without knowing her addiction history, the doctor sent Jessie home with a prescription for 50 oxycodone pills. She fatally overdosed the next day. …

Jessie’s Law aims to equip medical professionals to safely treat their patients and prevent overdose tragedies. The bill ensures that physicians and nurses have access to a consenting patient’s complete health information when making treatment decisions. Such information is crucial to provide patient-centered care, prevent relapses and ultimately, save lives. 

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