WASHINGTON, DC – Combating the opioid crisis requires an all hands on deck response, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) has been crisscrossing his district to raise awareness and discuss the House’s recent passage of critical legislation.
Rep. Kinzinger highlighted additional efforts at the federal level to fight this scourge, like the March omnibus that provided $4 billion in new resources to our states and communities. He also discussed what can be done locally, stating, “Reducing the number of prescriptions reduces the number of people taking their first opioid. …It also reduces the number of opioids left in the medicine cabinet.”
To learn more about Energy and Commerce’s comprehensive efforts to combat the opioid crisis, click here. To learn more about the House’s comprehensive efforts to combat the opioid crisis, click here.
Opioid roundtable seeks to raise awareness
Elected officials and health leaders gathered Tuesday afternoon to hear concerns from the public regarding the growing opioid crisis across the nation and in Winnebago County.
Dozens of residents across the region attended the event hosted by U.S. Rep Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, at the Northern Illinois University Rockford Conference Center. Kinzinger was on a panel that consisted of Sheriff Gary Caruana; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region 5 Director Doug O’Brien; Rosencrance Chief Medical Officer Tom Wright; John Pakiela, associate EMS medical director of Mercyhealth Rockford and medical director for REACT and Bobby Gattone, caseworker & grant writer for New Directions Sober Living in Crystal Lake.
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David Bingaman, of Dixon, has worked in health care in the past and attended the panel to hear what the experts had to say.
“These are great to bring public awareness,” he said. “I thought the panel did a great job. There are tremendous challenges ahead.”
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Rep. Adam Kinzinger hosts opioid forum
Sixty-nine people in Winnebago County have died from an opioid overdose this year. One state representative is working to educate the community to reduce that number.
“Even if we just stop one overdose I think it’s important,” said Representative Adam Kinzinger.
Representative Adam Kinzinger is hosting opioid forums across the 16th district to raise awareness about the growing problem in our area.
“What’s important that you can do as a public official is to bring awareness to not just some of the challenges but also what some folks are doing to solve this problem.”
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“It’s something that the community can do some things about but the community needs resources. We do need money for treatment,” said Roscoe resident Elizabeth Lindquist.
“If we can reduce supply of opiates, so maybe that means prescribing less, taking unused medication and put it in a drop box instead of letting it sit in your medicine cabinet; those are things that can alleviate the first step,” said Kinzinger.
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