Yavapai News

Legislation sponsored by Arizona State Representative Quang Nguyen to reinstate the Drug Overdose Fatality Review Team (Review Team) has been signed into law this week by the Governor. 

The Review Team was established in 2016 within the Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) to develop a drug overdose fatalities data collection system. By law, the Review Team’s authorization expired on January 1, 2023. Representative Nguyen’s HB 2194 is an emergency measure that immediately reinstates the Review Team and its powers and duties until 2029. 

“Prevention works and the data provided by the Review Team to help with that is essential to combating dangerous narcotics and overdoses,” said Representative Nguyen. “Entities such as MATForce in Yavapai County, prosecutors, and the State Legislature depend on information from the Review Team to identify and implement recommendations to prevent overdoses. And it is working. It’s been reported that overdose deaths in Yavapai County last year decreased, despite increasing numbers at the statewide level. That’s a testament to the prevention and education efforts that have been aided by the valuable information provided through the Review Team.” 

MATForce, a highly effective drug education and prevention program, is the main operator of the Review Team in Yavapai County. It relies on the data and information collected by the Review Team to help their efforts to educate and eliminate substance abuse within communities. 

For more background on the Review Team, click here. 

Quang Nguyen is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 1 in Yavapai County and is Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Follow him on Twitter at @QuangNguyenAZ. 

View the original press release here.