WASHINGTON, DC - The Health Subcommittee today continued its review and discussion of several bipartisan bills that would help combat the growing drug abuse crisis - both with prescription and synthetic drugs - unfolding in communities throughout America. Earlier this month subcommittee members heard from administration witnesses who all agreed that the time to act on this critical issue is now. Members today heard from outside experts on these legislative proposals, and in accordance with the administration witnesses, there is broad agreement on the urgent need to attack this escalating epidemic. The hearing builds upon the work of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing series on prescription drug and opioid abuse.
Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA) highlighted the startling statistics behind the growing threat. Pitts commented, “In 2011, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published a National Survey on Drug Use and Health and found that 1.7 million 12- to 25-year-olds abused prescription drugs for the first time - which amounts to more than 4,500 new initiates per day. These startling statistics should concern all of us. Unfortunately, only about 10 percent of people with substance abuse disorders will get any form of medical care."
“These bills and this hearing build upon the solid foundation laid by the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee which has held several hearings and meetings and heard from two dozen witnesses, including from the federal government, our partners in the states, and a wide range of health professionals and addiction specialists. They spoke about the root causes as well as the consequences of our nation’s complex and growing opioid epidemic and about potential solutions," added full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “As we move forward we must harmonize our efforts with the efforts already underway at the federal and state levels, in order to take constructive and effective action, and I am committed to doing just that."
Each of the witnesses at this afternoon’s hearing offered compelling testimony:
Paul Halverson, Founding Dean at Indiana University’s Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health explained how this growing epidemic is a public health crisis throughout the country. Halverson testified, “The end result is that people are dying. Forty-four people die each day in our country from an overdose of pain medication, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Chapman Sledge, MD and Chief Medical Officer of the Cumberland Heights Foundation, said that the most common diagnosis of the 1,500 admissions to the Nashville treatment facility in the past year was opioid dependence. He also mentioned that, “Heroin addiction has become more and more prevalent as access to prescription opioids becomes more limited through less abusable formulations, monitoring of controlled substance prescription databases, and education."
Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Kenneth Katz testified on behalf of the American College of Emergency Physicians and stressed that improved public awareness about the dangers of using synthetic drugs is critical. He also explained, that “The drug epidemic confronting this nation has been significantly transformed in recent years due to the accessibility of cheaply made, mass-produced, deadly synthetic drugs. The use of these dangerous compounds has directly led to violence, hospitalizations, and deaths."
Cory Waller, MD, from the American Society of Addiction Medicine talked about the treatment of patients who are addicted to opioids. He said, “Historically, we’ve treated addiction in this country acutely, expecting patients to recover after relatively short stints in detox or rehabilitation programs. Unfortunately, this model of care isn’t working, and it’s putting patients at heightened risk for overdose when they return to their communities with a reduced opioid tolerance. Instead, these patients need ongoing chronic disease management…"
Allen Anderson, M.D., President of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine discussed the importance of a team physician being able to carry controlled substances when traveling with the team in case of emergency. He said, “In emergencies or disasters when there is significant trauma it is critical that a physician have immediate access to controlled substances in order to adequately treat the patient."
The legislative text, complete witness testimony, and a full recording of the October 8th hearing are available online HERE.
Complete witness testimony and a full recording of today’s hearing is available online HERE. Related Items
* #SubHealth to Review a Number of Bipartisan Bills to Address Drug Abuse Crisis
* #SubHealth Reviews Several Bipartisan Bills to Address Growing Threat of Drug Abuse
* #SubOversight Continues Hearing Series to Review Prescription Drug & Opioid Abuse
See Also
* Upton Welcomes White House Joining Fight to Address Growing Threat of Drug Abuse
