WASHINGTON (WTRF) - As the opioid epidemic continues to sweep the nation, new bi-partisan legislation has been introduced in the United States Senate that aims to get ahead of the problem.
The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 is composed of 40 different proposals that help multiple agencies address the crisis and related issues.
This Opioid Crisis Response Act is the result of several years of work by Senate members from both the Republican and Democratic parties after seeing a need for a federal response to the opioid crisis.
"We want to make sure not only that we get ahead of this but that we stop it. It's just a tragedy," said Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia).
Capito says the Mountain State is in desperate need of this comprehensive legislation that will provide resources, funding, and guidance.
"We have a crisis in West Virginia. The statistics just came out, and we have over 900 West Virginians who lost their lives to overdoses. That's a tragedy for our state, a tragedy for families, so we've got to be very aggressive here in Washington," said Capito.
The legislation, if passed, will do things like increase access to mental health services in schools and community organizations, strengthen FDA and Customer Border Protection coordination to improve detection of illegal drugs, and provide support for state Prescriptions Drug Monitoring Programs.
Senator Capito says the Opioid Crisis Response Act is important not only for those battling opioid addiction, but also to law enforcement, healthcare providers, families, children, and communities.
You can find a detailed description of what the legislation will do by clicking here.
