EMS providers being added to OD reporting laws

The new law will take effect at the start of next year.

Pennsylvania is broadening its overdose reporting laws to include emergency medical service providers.

Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an amendment to the 2022 Overdose Mapping Act on June 30, directed at strengthening the state’s tracking of overdose incidents.

Currently in Pennsylvania, overdoses are primarily reported through the Overdose Information Network, a centralized database established under Act 158 of 2022.

Law enforcement agencies are required to enter details of known or suspected overdoses within 72 hours, including whether the case was fatal or nonfatal, the suspected substances involved, any naloxone use and identifying marks on drug packaging.

This information is shared in real time across agencies, allowing public health officials to monitor overdose patterns, law enforcement to target investigations and communities to ensure sufficient supplies of overdose reversal drugs.

However, because EMS providers — who respond to the majority of overdose calls — were not previously mandated to submit data directly into ODIN, many incidents, especially nonfatal ones where police are not present, haven’t been recorded in the system.

This gap has limited the completeness of overdose data, making it harder to deploy targeted prevention and intervention strategies.

ODIN — a centralized database for fatal and nonfatal overdoses, naloxone administrations, and drug packaging markings — helped boost reporting by 70% in 2023 and another 62% in 2024. This rapid data-sharing has supported timely naloxone distribution, improved outreach and enabled law enforcement to disrupt supply chains.

EMS providers are now officially designated “authorized users” mandated to submit overdose details — including date, location, substance specifics, and naloxone usage — within 72 hours via ODIN or another approved platform.

The Department of Health will coordinate these submissions alongside police data to avoid duplication.

The Mon Valley continues to work to combat the opioid epidemic.

Preliminary statewide trends show a 31% drop in overall overdose deaths in Pennsylvania in 2024, with 3,358 estimated fatalities — a decline from 4,870 in 2023.

In Allegheny County, the estimated number of fatal overdoses dropped notably, from 665 in 2023 to 405 in 2024.

Washington County experienced a nearly 22% decrease in fatal overdoses between late 2022 and late 2023, suggesting continued progress into 2024, though specific numbers for that year are not yet available at washcohealth.org.

For Westmoreland County, an archived coroner’s report shows there were 103 accidental overdose deaths in the most recent full year.

Fayette County lacks publicly accessible 2024 overdose statistics, highlighting a data gap where enhanced EMS reporting could provide greater clarity and responsiveness.

There are diverse challenges across counties — from urban Allegheny to smaller, rural counties — highlighting the critical role of real-time, comprehensive data.

Adding EMS data can help sharpen response times, optimize overdose resource distribution, and tailor prevention efforts more precisely where they’re needed most.

Introduced by Sen. Doug Mastriano, it passed both the House and Senate unanimously.

“My legislation will add Emergency Medical Services providers as required reporters to the ODIN system. EMS providers are responsible for handling over 80% of overdoses annually in Pennsylvania and adding them to the ODIN system will drastically improve the overall accuracy of the system,” he said. “This proposal was recommended by the Pennsylvania State Police in a July 2023 report to the General Assembly and is also supported by the Liberty Mid Atlantic High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

“Adding EMS to the ODIN system will vastly improve how our commonwealth tracks, maps, and responds to overdose incidents. The enactment of this legislation will help save lives as we continue to combat the overdose epidemic.”

“I recently voted in support of a new state law to enhance drug overdose reporting and response to combat this ongoing epidemic,” said state Rep. Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run Township. “Act 18 of 2025 will ensure emergency medical services providers are fully integrated into Pennsylvania’s overdose surveillance systems, enabling faster, more accurate data sharing across agencies. By improving real-time coordination, Act 18 strengthens our ability to respond to overdoses and save lives.”

The law goes into effect in six months, giving EMS organizations time to update reporting systems.