OP-ED

We need a well-funded and comprehensive approach to preventing addiction

By U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Posted 4/10/18

By U.S. SENATOR SHELDON WHITEHOUSE Every 25 minutes, a baby is born suffering from withdrawal because the mother is grappling with addiction. These children are heartbreaking victims of an opioid crisis that has taken brutal hold of communities across

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
OP-ED

We need a well-funded and comprehensive approach to preventing addiction

Posted

Every 25 minutes, a baby is born suffering from withdrawal because the mother is grappling with addiction. These children are heartbreaking victims of an opioid crisis that has taken brutal hold of communities across the country. Rhode Island hospitals like Women & Infants saw the number of babies born into opioid withdrawal nearly triple between 2006 and 2015. That’s why one of the key provisions of my new bill to address this public health crisis would increase support for these newborns, and for pregnant and postpartum women seeking addiction treatment.

At a time when few bills could gather enough bipartisan momentum to become law, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and I got to work on the original Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act to combat the opioid epidemic. The expertise of Rhode Island recovery advocates like the late Jim Gillen of Anchor Recovery was instrumental in helping us focus the original CARA law on real needs at the front lines of the epidemic. CARA passed both houses of Congress by overwhelming margins and was signed by President Obama in 2016. Increased funding followed.

Senator Portman and I teamed up again now on CARA 2.0 to provide better infant care, to improve prescription drug monitoring and prescribing practices, and to provide more support for people in long-term recovery. And we can’t forget how this epidemic began in the first place. Our bill increases civil and criminal penalties for opioid manufacturers that negligently allow addictive pills to get into the wrong hands. Pharmaceutical companies have not met their responsibility to keep unnecessary pills off the market, and my legislation would hold drug manufacturers accountable.

It is heartening that there is enormous bipartisan support in Congress for preventing and treating opioid addiction. Just last week, Congress approved $3.3 billion more to address the crisis, including significant funding for the ambitious programs CARA created. Our new CARA 2.0 legislation has also received strong support from colleagues across the political spectrum.

There are glimmers of hope that suggest Rhode Island is starting to turn the tide on this crisis. I hosted new U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams for a visit to Rhode Island in January, and he was impressed by the approach our state has taken. Governor Gina Raimondo and members of her cabinet have shown great leadership. Police departments and emergency rooms have stepped up. Specialists like Michelle Harter, an addiction assistance coordinator embedded in the Burrillville Police Department, are working with law enforcement to promote recovery in towns across the state; Burrillville had endured six overdose deaths in just the first months of 2015. We have a dedicated, compassionate recovery community, including the teams at CODAC, The Providence Center, and Phoenix House. With all these interrelated efforts, the state saw an eight percent decrease in opioid overdose deaths in the first eight months of 2017 compared to the same period the previous year.

We need a well-funded and comprehensive approach to preventing addiction and supporting those on the long, noble path of recovery. Between the existing CARA law, the added funding, and our new CARA 2.0 bill, we are moving in the right direction in the way we treat addiction in Rhode Island and across the country.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here