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Delaware Creates Panel to Review Drug Overdose Deaths

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DOVER, Del. (AP) - Gov. Jack Markell is signing legislation to create a state commission that will review drug overdose deaths in Delaware.

The Drug Overdose Fatality Review Commission being established with Thursday's bill signing is similar to commissions the state already has in place to review child deaths and deaths of domestic violence victims.

The panel will be charged with investigating and reviewing all overdose deaths involving prescribed opiates, fentanyl or heroin, and making recommendations to the governor and legislature on ways to reduce the number of fatal overdoses.

Commission members will include representatives of the attorney general's office, medical examiner's office, public health division and law enforcement agencies.

The meetings of the commission and associated regional review teams will not be open to the public, and its records will also remain confidential.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.