‘CNMI expected to see increase in opiate overdoses’

Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Medical Director of Public Health Dr. Lily Muldoon said the CNMI is expected to see an increase in opiate overdoses just as it has been happening in the mainland and in Guam.

“So, consider this a preemptive warning, urging us to act decisively and proactively,” said Muldoon during the House of Representatives Health and Welfare Committee’s meeting on Monday that tackled two bills regarding opioids.

H. B. 23-23 seeks to establish CNMI Drug Overdose Policy; to authorize and mandate first responders to possess opioid overdose reversal medication; to authorize standing orders for opioid overdose reversal medication; and to provide limited immunity for dispensing opioid overdose medication.

H.B. 23-25 proposes to amend provisions of the CNMI Good Samaritan Act to protect and encourage opioid overdose reversal administration by granting limited immunity from civil liability.

Muldoon, who is also an emergency medicine physician at CHCC, said these two legislative measures aimed to establish a comprehensive CNMI drug overdose policy, a critical initiative and collective endeavor to combat the ever-growing opiate epidemic.

She said the staggering reality of drug overdose deaths reached an unprecedented high in 2022.

The doctor said over 100,000 individuals died from drug overdoses in the U.S. mainland in that year alone.

She said the CNMI is not immune just like during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Muldoon said having served as an emergency room doctor in the U.S. mainland before relocating to the CNMI, she witnessed firsthand the devastating impact that opiate overdoses have on patients and their families.

She said the urgency of this issue cannot be overstated, demanding a swift strategic and unified response.

The doctor said the proposed bill takes a substantial stride in authorizing and mandating first responders to carry out carry the opioid overdose reversal medication that is called Naloxone, which is an indispensable tool for saving lives in the critical minutes following an overdose.

“Naloxone is easily administered, it’s a simple spray up the nose and it will reverse the effects of opiates,” she said.

Muldoon said time is of the essence and sometimes when given in the emergency department, it’s too late.

She said therefore authorizing pharmacies to dispense Naloxone to first responders and empowering individuals including Good Samaritans to be equipped with Naloxone can bridge the critical time gap and save lives.

Muldoon dispelled any worry that people may have about Naloxone, saying if it’s given to somebody who is healthy the drug has no effect.

She said, however, if it’s given to somebody who has overdosed on opiates, and somebody who was unresponsive or not breathing, it can save their life.

“And this is important to give to people who aren’t just overdosing on opiates that we hear about like fentanyl and heroin that are narcotics that are bought on the streets,” she said.

Muldoon said it can also be important for patients who may accidentally overdose on their home opiate prescription such as oxycodone, Norco, or vitamin so it can help people across the spectrum.

The doctor said the establishment of a comprehensive drug overdose policy is not just a moral imperative, as to her, this is a public health necessity.

“It symbolizes our commitment to safeguarding the well-being of our residents and cultivating a community that prioritizes the health and safety of all of its members,” she said.

Muldoon underscored the need to support the two bills to demonstrate the CNMI’s dedication to confronting the opioid crisis head on, providing the first responders with the necessary tools and creating a safer more resilient Northern Mariana Islands for generations to come.