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2026 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 63
BY SENATOR OWEN
A RESOLUTION
To request the Louisiana Department of Health to study the feasibility of providing
buprenorphine to paramedics in Louisiana.
WHEREAS, every year over two-thousand people in Louisiana die from a drug
overdose, accounting for over two percent of nationwide overdose deaths; and
WHEREAS, death from drug overdose may be preventable with attentive care from
first responders if they have life-saving medication available to them; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, Louisiana enacted a law to allow first responders to carry and
administer naloxone to individuals experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose; and
WHEREAS, up to forty-seven percent of patients refuse transport to the hospital after
a naloxone reversal, leaving them at high risk for a fatal, repeat overdose; and
WHEREAS, Suboxone is a prescription medication that contains both buprenorphine
and naloxone, and helps people with opioid use disorder manage opioid cravings and reduce
withdrawal symptoms; and
WHEREAS, patients who encountered a Suboxone-equipped ambulance were over
five times more likely to engage in addiction treatment within thirty days; and
WHEREAS, several states, including New Jersey and Delaware, and municipalities
have authorized certain first responders to administer Suboxone; and
WHEREAS, programs in these states aim to bridge the gap between emergency care
and addiction recovery.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby request that the Louisiana Department of Health study the feasibility of
providing buprenorphine to paramedics in Louisiana, including information on efforts in
other states and municipalities, any potential logistical and legal challenges, and
recommended protocols.
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SR NO. 63 ENROLLED
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Health shall submit
its findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare and to
the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library, as required by R.S. 24:771, no later than
February 1, 2027.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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