Overdose mapping information

AN ACT Relating to the facilitation of rapid sharing of overdose 1
mapping information for overdose prevention; amending RCW 70.168.090; 2
adding a new section to chapter 43.70 RCW; and creating a new 3
section. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that substance 6
use disorder and drug overdose is a major health problem that affects 7
the lives of many people and multiple service systems, and leads to 8
profound consequences, including permanent injury or death. 9
Accidental overdoses caused by opioids and other legal and illegal 10
drugs are a Washington state health crisis that stress and strain the 11
financial, public health, health care, and public safety resources in 12
Washington state. This impact occurs because there are few central 13
databases that can quickly help identify this problem and limited 14
funding for support to mitigate the crisis and risks statewide.15
(2) The legislature finds there is a need for collaboration among 16
local, regional, and state agencies and service systems within 17
Washington, and other partners to establish a comprehensive system 18
addressing the problems associated with overdoses and to reduce 19
duplicative requirements across local, county, state, public safety, 20
and health care agencies. Formalized collaboration will allow these 21
H-2488.3
HOUSE BILL 2168
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Manjarrez, Dent, Dufault, Barnard, Mendoza,
Graham, Pollet, and Bernbaum
Prefiled 12/18/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Health Care & Wellness.
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entities to combine their numerous resources and strengths, thus 1
reducing insular decision making. Contemporaneous data collection 2
about, and analysis of, confirmed or suspected overdoses within 3
Washington will further allow state and local agencies to focus on 4
specific areas where the following are needed most in order to 5
maximize resources: (a) Outreach and implementation of risk reduction 6
strategies; (b) real-time notification of spikes in overdose 7
activity; (c) public education about overdose prevention; and (d) 8
treatment, supportive services, and other health care options to 9
reduce demand. 10
(3) Therefore, the legislature intends to: 11
(a) Provide near real-time drug overdose analysis of confirmed or 12
suspected overdoses occurring within Washington, using a specialized 13
program to collect information about overdose incidents that supports 14
public health efforts to mobilize an immediate response to a sudden 15
increase in overdoses; 16
(b) Provide a centralized resource that can collect information 17
about overdose incidents and make the data available to the health 18
care community, and municipal, county, and state agencies to quickly 19
identify needs and provide short and long-term solutions while 20
protecting and respecting the privacy rights of individuals;21
(c) Prevent accidental overdoses by quickly identifying the areas 22
within Washington where overdoses pose the highest risk to the 23
community; 24
(d) Enable local, regional, and state agencies and service 25
systems to develop effective strategies for addressing confirmed or 26
suspected overdoses occurring within their jurisdictions and 27
implement interventional strategies; and 28
(e) Encourage formal collaborative agreements among local, 29
regional, and state agencies and service systems that enhance present 30
and future work pertaining to the various health care and public 31
safety aspects of this crisis. 32
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.70 33
RCW to read as follows: 34
(1)(a) Beginning January 1, 2027, the department shall submit the 35
information required under this section to the overdose detection 36
mapping application program to report all incidences of fatal and 37
nonfatal opioid overdoses submitted to the Washington emergency 38
medical services information system. The department shall establish 39
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an application programing interface or similar process to allow for 1
the near time transfer of the information required under the section 2
between the Washington emergency medical services information system 3
and the overdose detection mapping application program.4
(b) Within 24 hours of submission of a patient care report by a 5
licensed ambulance service, aid service, or other emergency medical 6
services provider into the Washington emergency medical services 7
information system, the department shall submit the following 8
information for each patient care report to the overdose detection 9
mapping application program: 10
(i) The date and time of the overdose; 11
(ii) The location in latitude and longitude, to no more than four 12
decimal places, where the patient was initially encountered by the 13
emergency medical services provider; 14
(iii) Whether one or more doses of an opioid overdose reversal 15
medication was administered; and 16
(iv) Whether the overdose was fatal or nonfatal when the patient 17
was initially encountered by the emergency medical services provider 18
or during transportation of the patient to a health care facility.19
(2) Information submitted under this section by the department or 20
available through the overdose detection mapping application program 21
may not be used for law enforcement welfare checks, warrant checks, 22
or criminal investigations or prosecution of the individual who was 23
treated by the emergency medical services providers for experiencing 24
the suspected or actual overdose. 25
(3) The department may not submit any information pursuant to 26
this section that allows for or creates a risk of identification of 27
an individual or individuals experiencing a suspected or actual 28
overdose. 29
(4) For purposes of this section: 30
(a) "Aid service" means an emergency medical services agency 31
licensed by the secretary to operate one or more aid vehicles, 32
consistent with regional and state plans, and the department-approved 33
license application. 34
(b) "Ambulance service" means an emergency medical services 35
agency licensed by the secretary to operate one or more ground or air 36
ambulances, consistent with regional and state plans, and the 37
department-approved license application. 38
(c) "Opioid" means any narcotic containing opium or one or more 39
of its natural or synthetic derivatives. 40
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(d) "Overdose detection mapping application program" means the 1
Washington/Baltimore high intensity drug trafficking area overdose 2
detection mapping application program or subsequent program operated 3
by a unit of state or local government for the same purpose, if the 4
subsequent program is approved by the department. 5
(e) "Washington emergency medical services information system" 6
means the emergency medical services data system established by the 7
department pursuant to RCW 70.168.090. 8
Sec. 3. RCW 70.168.090 and 2019 c 314 s 19 are each amended to 9
read as follows: 10
(1)(a) By July 1991, the department shall establish a statewide 11
data registry to collect and analyze data on the incidence, severity, 12
and causes of trauma, including traumatic brain injury. The 13
department shall collect additional data on traumatic brain injury 14
should additional data requirements be enacted by the legislature. 15
The registry shall be used to improve the availability and delivery 16
of prehospital and hospital trauma care services. Specific data 17
elements of the registry shall be defined by rule by the department. 18
To the extent possible, the department shall coordinate data 19
collection from hospitals for the trauma registry with the health 20
care data system authorized in chapter 70.170 RCW. Every hospital, 21
facility, or health care provider authorized to provide level I, II, 22
III, IV, or V trauma care services, level I, II, or III pediatric 23
trauma care services, level I, level I-pediatric, II, or III trauma-24
related rehabilitative services, and prehospital trauma-related 25
services in the state shall furnish data to the registry. All other 26
hospitals and prehospital providers shall furnish trauma data as 27
required by the department by rule. 28
(b) The department may respond to requests for data and other 29
information from the registry for special studies and analysis 30
consistent with requirements for confidentiality of patient and 31
quality assurance records. The department may require requestors to 32
pay any or all of the reasonable costs associated with such requests 33
that might be approved. 34
(2) The department must establish a statewide electronic 35
emergency medical services data system and adopt rules requiring 36
licensed ambulance and aid services to report and furnish patient 37
encounter data to the electronic emergency medical services data 38
system. The data system must be used to improve the availability and 39
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delivery of prehospital emergency medical services. The department 1
must establish in rule the specific data elements of the data system 2
and secure transport methods for data. The data collected must 3
include data on suspected drug overdoses for the purposes of 4
including, but not limited to, sharing data with the overdose 5
detection mapping application program in alignment with section 2 of 6
this act, identifying individuals to engage substance use disorder 7
peer professionals, patient navigators, outreach workers, and other 8
professionals as appropriate to prevent further overdoses and to 9
induct into treatment and provide other needed supports as may be 10
available. 11
(3) In each emergency medical services and trauma care planning 12
and service region, a regional emergency medical services and trauma 13
care systems quality assurance program shall be established by those 14
facilities authorized to provide levels I, II, and III trauma care 15
services. The systems quality assurance program shall evaluate trauma 16
care delivery, patient care outcomes, and compliance with the 17
requirements of this chapter. The systems quality assurance program 18
may also evaluate emergency cardiac and stroke care delivery. The 19
emergency medical services medical program director and all other 20
health care providers and facilities who provide trauma and emergency 21
cardiac and stroke care services within the region shall be invited 22
to participate in the regional emergency medical services and trauma 23
care quality assurance program. 24
(4) ((Data)) Except as provided in section 2 of this act, data 25
elements related to the identification of individual patient's, 26
provider's and facility's care outcomes shall be confidential, shall 27
be exempt from RCW 29B.05.030, 29B.15.010, 29B.20.010 through 28
29B.20.030, 29B.20.060 through 29B.20.100, 29B.60.010 through 29
29B.60.050, and 42.56.030 through 42.56.570 ((and 42.17.350 through 30
42.17.450)), and shall not be subject to discovery by subpoena or 31
admissible as evidence. 32
(5) Patient care quality assurance proceedings, records, and 33
reports developed pursuant to this section are confidential, exempt 34
from chapter 42.56 RCW, and are not subject to discovery by subpoena 35
or admissible as evidence in any civil action, except, after in 36
camera review, pursuant to a court order which provides for the 37
protection of sensitive information of interested parties including 38
the department: (a) In actions arising out of the department's 39
designation of a hospital or health care facility pursuant to RCW 40
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70.168.070; (b) in actions arising out of the department's revocation 1
or suspension of designation status of a hospital or health care 2
facility under RCW 70.168.070; (c) in actions arising out of the 3
department's licensing or verification of an ambulance or aid service 4
pursuant to RCW 18.73.030 or 70.168.080; (d) in actions arising out 5
of the certification of a medical program director pursuant to RCW 6
18.71.212; or (e) in actions arising out of the restriction or 7
revocation of the clinical or staff privileges of a health care 8
provider as defined in RCW 7.70.020 (1) and (2), subject to any 9
further restrictions on disclosure in RCW 4.24.250 that may apply. 10
Information that identifies individual patients shall not be publicly 11
disclosed without the patient's consent. 12
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