Opioid Epidemic

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the subcommittee for organizing this event.

On behalf of the 1,419 Kentuckians who died of an opioid overdose in 2016, and the countless more who are currently suffering from opioid addiction, I rise today in support of legislation to combat our Nation's opioid epidemic.

Everywhere I go in Kentucky's Second District, I hear from people who have felt the impact of the opioid crisis. The range of people falling victim to opioid use disorder is vast--from babies born with opioid withdrawal, to adults of all ages and backgrounds, even students, brothers and sisters, moms and dads. It doesn't matter if someone becomes addicted to opioids after they have sprained an ankle or following major surgery--anyone who has been prescribed opioid painkillers could be at risk, and we need to find a way to help the thousands of people who have, in fact, become addicted.

I recently introduced two pieces of legislation to combat our widespread opioid crisis. The first is the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act of 2018. I was proud to introduce this bipartisan bill with the Health Subcommittee ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon), and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Ben Ray Lujan).

This bill addresses the current lack of comprehensive treatment options available to opioid use disorder patients. Currently, there is a wide range of treatment options from faith-based abstinence programs to FDA-approved medications, but not everyone has access to the specific treatments they need.

Patients usually seek treatment from a facility convenient to them in their own community or from a facility that is covered by their insurance. However, most facilities only offer a single type of treatment, which may or may not work for each individual patient. The Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act would provide grant money to help create treatment centers where every FDA-approved option is available to each patient.

These centers would also include intake services and help with reentering the community and provide data to the Department of Health and Human Services so that other treatment centers can learn and apply best practices to provide more patients with comprehensive care.

I also introduced the bipartisan Maternal Opioid Treatment, Health, Education, and Recovery Act, known as the MOTHER Act, with Congressman Ben Ray Lujan. Opioid addiction is a serious risk to anyone's health, but it can even be more harmful and life-threatening for a pregnant woman and her child. This bill would help healthcare providers better treat pregnant women with opioid use disorder as well as babies who are born experiencing opioid withdrawal.

The MOTHER Act increases education about neonatal abstinence syndrome, which sadly affects babies whose mothers suffer from opioid use disorder, and the bill also provides resources for pregnant mothers and caregivers. It highlights the need for responsible pain management for expectant mothers.

Our Nation is in the middle of combating a serious opioid epidemic, and all of us on both sides of the aisle can agree on the need to act with urgency on all fronts. I was proud to join with my Democratic colleagues to introduce two bipartisan bills that would address important aspects of the opioid crisis. I urge my colleagues to support the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act and the MOTHER Act. I thank the subcommittee chairman for organizing this.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source