WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) co-sponsored the Protecting Jessica Grubb’s Legacy Act to change existing privacy regulations, known as 42 CFR Part 2, surrounding medical records for those suffering from substance use disorder. The bill was reintroduced by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). 

The legislation aims to save lives by ensuring that medical providers do not accidentally give opioids to individuals in recovery like in the case of Jessica Grubb. In order to ensure all parties involved are supported and heard in the implementation of this legislation, the reintroduction of the Legacy Act has several significant changes when compared with the version introduced earlier this Congress.

“Although opioids are meant for healing and often necessary for patients, no one recovering from opioid addiction should receive the very substance they are breaking dependency from,” said Senator Tillis. “This can be avoided by changing regulations that make sure medical records for those in recovery are up to date and this life-saving bipartisan legislation will provide protection for patients who are at the discretion of their medical provider, ultimately avoiding countless, needless deaths. I will continue to work with my colleagues to fight against opioid deaths across the country and in North Carolina.”

Summary of the changes to the bill can be found HERE. 

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