Union Leader - Progress in the Fight Against Opioid Overdoses

Op-Ed

By Kelly Ayotte

After a surgery or an illness, we tell people to take care of themselves - rest, take medicine, drink plenty of fluids, or change their habits.

A healthy recovery can be just as important as treatment, which is why a focus on recovery for individuals struggling with a substance use disorder should be a key piece of our fight against the heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic.

In Claremont last week at the opening of a new HOPE for New Hampshire Recovery center, a place that helps many Granite Staters get their lives back on track, we talked about the need for resources that can help people achieve healthy recoveries.

Organizations like this are doing incredible work on the front lines of this crisis. I was so glad to join them to mark a turning point for all of us in this fight. After two and a half years of hard work, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) that I helped co-author and introduce along with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, Rob Portman and Amy Klobuchar. It's not often you see such a bipartisan display of support, especially one that earns 92 votes in the U.S. Senate, but it underscores the urgent need to fight back against this epidemic.

CARA will make a huge difference. It authorizes $181 million for an evidence-based framework focused on several major areas of a comprehensive approach - prevention, treatment, recovery, and support for first responders. CARA was endorsed by nearly 250 advocacy groups nationwide, including several in New Hampshire.

The need for CARA is clear. Last year, New Hampshire lost 439 people to drug overdoses. Nationally, we are losing 129 people a day. Each of these numbers is a person - a mother, a niece, a son or a friend. I have heard countless stories of heartbreaking loss from New Hampshire families, and they have stuck with me.

Recently, Kathy from Plaistow told me the story of her son Thomas, who sadly passed away from a heroin overdose after first becoming addicted to prescription painkillers.

Kathy shared with me her strong belief that more must be done to help those struggling with a substance use disorder. I couldn't agree more.

We must remove the stigma associated with addiction so that people in crisis can get the help they need. CARA recognizes that addiction is a disease, and increases access to medication-assisted treatment for people with opioid use disorders, as well as residential and outpatient treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women.

CARA also creates a national education and prevention campaign to better inform individuals about the dangers of misusing prescription opioids, heroin and fentanyl.

CARA provides more resources for individuals in recovery by authorizing new grants for recovery support organizations like HOPE for New Hampshire Recovery.

And finally, CARA includes valuable resources for our law enforcement community and first responders who are on the front lines every single day working to save lives. Among other things, CARA expands the availability of lifesaving opioid overdose reversal drugs like Narcan for first responders, giving them yet another tool in their important work.

CARA lays out an important policy framework so we can be sure we're pursuing the most effective policies and solutions in the fight against this epidemic. And Congress has already shown its commitment to funding programs like those outlined in CARA to fight this public health and safety crisis.

CARA is an authorization bill, like the Violence Against Women Act or the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, which sets up policies that are then funded through the annual appropriations process. And in the appropriations process this year, the Senate is calling for $469 million for the evidence-based programs like those authorized under CARA.

In addition, the end-of-the-year government funding bill that's already been passed into law included $320 million to combat opioid abuse, an increase of 46 percent over last year. And at every opportunity, I've urged my colleagues for even more funding in addition to this, including by supporting Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's proposal for $600 million in additional emergency funding.

Congress delivered a message when we overwhelmingly passed CARA. The conversation about addiction is changing, and we are beginning to make progress as a country. After two and a half years of work, I am glad to see that we could come together and do some good for New Hampshire and the rest of the country.

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