Combating
the
Opioid
Epidemic

Now
more
than
ever
we
must
prioritize
federal
funding
to
combat
the
opioid
epidemic
that
has
swept
across
Pennsylvania
and
the
nation.
Everyone
has
a
role
to
play
in
this
fight,
including
law
enforcement,
pharmacies,
health
care
professionals,
insurers,
and
community
groups.
This
past
week
and
next,
the
House
of
Representatives
is
passing
dozens
of
bills
aimed
at
fighting
this
crisis
and
saving
lives.
The
legislation
we're
passing
focuses
on
four
critical
steps
to
combating
the
opioid
epidemic:
1.
Treatment
and
Recovery
- Improve
and
expand
access
to
treatment
and
recovery
services
- Provide
incentives
for
enhanced
care,
coordination,
and
innovation
- Establish
comprehensive
opioid
recovery
centers
2.
Prevention
- Encourage
non-addictive
opioid
alternatives
to
treat
pain
- Improve
data
to
identify
and
help
at-risk
patients
and
families
- Address
high
prescribing
rates
while
enhancing
prescription
drug
monitoring
programs
3.
Protecting
Communities
- Give
law
enforcement
tools
to
get
dangerous
drugs
out
of
our
communities
- Better
intercept
illicit
opioids
at
international
mail
facilities
- Improve
access
to
federal
resources
for
local
communities
4.
Fighting
Fentanyl
- Better
tackle
ever-changing
synthetic
drugs
- Crack
down
on
foreign
shipments
of
illicit
drugs
- Provide
grants
for
local
communities
to
combat
fentanyl
You
can
learn
more
about
our
fight
against
the
opioid
epidemic
by
visiting
opioidcrisis.org
or
texting
CRISIS
to
50589.
You
can
also
visit
my
website
where
I
have
a
number
of
resources
available
to
you
and
your
family,
including
where
to
seek
for
those
at
risk
or
already
struggling
with
addiction.
I
spoke
on
this
effort
on
the
House
floor
Thursday
morning.
You
can
watch
my
speech
here.
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