Co-Prescribing to Reduce Overdoses Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3680, the Co-Prescribing to Reduce Overdoses Act, which gives patients the tools they need to protect themselves from opioid overdoses.

H.R. 3680 calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to create a grant program that will increase the ability for healthcare providers to coprescribe opioid reversal medication like naloxone when those providers prescribe opioid-based medications for patients.

This new direction by HHS will work to decrease the risk of fatally overdosing on opioids while also allowing healthcare providers to learn more about the opioid reversal medication benefits.

In addition, with the grant money, providers will be able to track patient outcomes to make sure that the reversal medication has the desired effect.

As a lifelong pharmacist, I consider it my duty to always care for my patients and give them every tool I can to protect and serve them the best way I can, and I have carried this duty to the United States House of Representatives.

The Co-Prescribing to Reduce Overdoses Act does just this and is a major step in the right direction to ending the opioid addiction deaths in America.

I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill.

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