senate.texas.gov
AUSTIN, Texas (WBAP/KLIF News) — A state senator from Brenham is pushing a bill that would prohibit health care providers from offering beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages to patients and people accompanying them to doctor and dentist appointments.
It comes as a surprise to many to learn that this practice, while not common, is a trend not only in Texas but also in other states such as New York. Sen. Lois Kolkhorst told the Dallas Morning News, “There’s nothing in the code that prevents you from doing this, but I think it’s a line that we can’t cross.”
Dr. Mathew Roberts of the Texas Dental Association issued a statement supporting the legislation saying that drinking alcohol before a dental appointment can potentially cause medical complications and impair a patient’s ability to make wise decisions in consenting to their treatment.
Kolkhorst expanded on the point, telling the Texas Tribune, “These beverages are also offered to parents of patients both before and after procedures, which we know often involve sedation or other pharmaceuticals.”
She tells of one dentist in League City who provided alcohol to a parent who had to sign a loan agreement prior to treatment of a minor child. The treatment resulted in severe injuries to the child.
The legislative analysis of the bill reported “several incidents where alcoholic beverages have been offered by medical providers who later go on to inflict severe and permanent damage, often during the course of procedures later found to be unnecessary.”
Kolkhorst’s bill is still pending before the Senate Business and Commerce Committee.
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