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Statewide ODMAP connection proposed to share near-real-time overdose data; public health groups urge passage
Summary
House Bill 2,168 would require the Department of Health to transfer specified overdose data into the Overdose Detection Mapping Application (ODMAP) in near real time; public-health and community organizations said ODMAP helped identify overdose spikes and save lives, while witnesses proposed adding poison-center data and clarifying overdose definitions for completeness and privacy safeguards.
House Bill 2,168 would require the Washington State Department of Health to create an application programming interface or similar process to transfer four required data points (date/time, location — limited to four-decimal latitude/longitude, fatal/nonfatal status, and whether opioid-overdose reversal medication was administered) from the state EMS information system to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application (ODMAP), beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Staff said the bill prohibits use of ODMAP data for law‑enforcement prosecution or warrant checks and requires protections against re‑identification of individuals.
The bill’s sponsor (name not stated during the sponsor segment) described the statewide adoption of ODMAP as a life-saving tool that would centralize subscriptions through DOH and enable faster detection of overdose spikes. Local implementers gave concrete examples: Alicia Strom (Safe Yakima Valley) said manual tracking previously masked the scale of nonfatal overdoses in Yakima County and that after ODMAP implementation her county saw improved spike alerts, coordinated task‑force responses and a drop in overdose death rankings.
Public-health officials and law-enforcement partners told the committee OD spike alerts enable targeted prevention and harm-reduction responses. Elizabeth Powell (Northwest HIDTA) and Peter Maturko (Skagit County Public Health) testified that near-real-time data improves situational awareness and community alerts.
The Washington Poison Center recommended integrating poison‑center data to avoid blind spots and suggested clarifying language that currently reads as ‘opioid’ overdose, noting many substances produce similar clinical overdose syndromes and cross‑validate surveillance.
The committee closed public testimony on HB 2,168 with broad support from public‑health witnesses and requests for technical amendments regarding data integration and clarified definitions.
