Contact: Aaron White
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Legislation authored by Rep. Kind included in Opioid Crisis package
La Crosse – Today, legislation to combat Wisconsin’s opioid crisis, which includes provisions authored by U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, passed the House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill also includes measures to curb the shipment of fentanyl, expand coverage for addiction treatment services, and promote educational resources on the potentially deadly impact of opioid misuse.
“Breaking the cycle of addiction in Wisconsin will require all of us to come together and find comprehensive fixes to this epidemic,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “I am proud to have worked across the aisle to pass this important legislation. This is one step forward in helping Wisconsinites battling addiction fight back, but more funding and offense will be needed for our communities to begin the rebuilding process.”
The legislation package includes Rep. Kind’s bipartisan Providing Reliable Options for Patients and Educational Resources (PROPER) Act of 2018, which will ensure patients are aware of the adverse effects of prolonged opioid use and their coverage options for the treatment of pain.
In April, Rep. Kind introduced his comprehensive Drug Epidemic Action Plan, which was collaboratively created after a series of listening sessions with Wisconsin law enforcement officials, community health centers, medical professionals, drug treatment officials, and families of those suffering from addiction.
Over 64,000 people in the United States died from drug-related overdoses in 2016 – 42,000 from opioids alone. In Wisconsin, emergency room visits for opioid overdoses more than doubled over the course of a year.
