OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Hunter today announced the first meeting of the Opioid Overdose Fatality Review Board will be tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the Attorney General’s Office at 1 p.m.
The Opioid Overdose Fatality Review Board was a key legislative recommendation last year by the Oklahoma Commission on Opioid Abuse.
The 19-member board is comprised of state health agency heads, members of the law enforcement, legal and health care communities. Together, they will study causes of death due to prescription or illicit opioid use. The board will collect, analyze and interpret state and local data on opioid overdose deaths and develop a database.
“Over the course of the meetings of the Commission on Opioid Abuse, it became apparent that a better emphasis on accurate data was needed,” Attorney General Hunter said. “More accurate data and information will allow us to properly identify where deaths are happening and what drugs individuals are using so we can deploy proper resources to specific areas. We will also be able to study each case and refer appropriate cases for criminal prosecution. I am grateful for the members, who are dedicating their time and talents to help us accomplish this mission.”
After the bill became law last November, the Oklahoma Department of Health began forwarding copies of death certificates for adults, 18 and over, to the medical examiner. The medical examiner will review the death certificate in accordance with criteria established by the board and refer those specific cases to the board for review.
The board will release an annual report on the causes of opioid overdose deaths that have been reviewed. The report will also include any recommendations needed to combat the crisis.
See Tuesday’s agenda, here: https://bit.ly/2RR3jxc.
See the legislation that created the board, here: https://bit.ly/2rgJ0dj.
The Attorney General’s Office is located at 313 NE 21st St. in Oklahoma City.
Members of the Board
Mike Hunter – Attorney General
Dr. Eric Pfeifer – Chief Medical Examiner
Tom Bates – Health Commissioner
Dr. Jean Hausheer – President of the Oklahoma State Medical Association
John Scully – Director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
Terri White – Commissioner, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Dr. Christopher Shearer – President, Oklahoma Osteopathic Association
Ed Lake – Director, Department of Human Services
Ricky Adams – Director, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Judge Paul Hesse – District Court Judge
Sheriff Derek Manning – Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association
Chief Brandon Clabes – Midwest City Police Department
Linda Scoggins – Private Attorney
District Attorney Chris Boring – Representing the District Attorneys Council
Dr. Kevin Taubman – Serving as a physician with emergency medical training
Dr. Jason Beaman – OSU Health Sciences Center, Expert in Drug Addiction Treatment
Sheila St. Cyr – Representing the Oklahoma Nurses Association
Lance Lang – Lay Member
Mike Maddox – Lay Member