DeLauro Holds Screening and Discussion on the Heroin Epidemic

NEW HAVEN, CT (March 7, 2016) — Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) hosted a screening of the HBO documentary film Heroin: Cape Cod, USA, a new documentary on the heroin epidemic that is impacting communities across the nation. Following the screening, DeLauro moderated a community discussion on heroin addiction and opioid overdoses in Connecticut.

Of the more than 47,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2014, heroin was a factor in more than 10,000 and opioids in more than 20,000. Connecticut loses hundreds of citizens every year to overdoses, with 582 deaths reported in 2013 and 623 in 2014. Thousands more people are currently addicted or in recovery.

“The number of overdose deaths in the U.S. is unfathomably high and doing nothing is irresponsible and immoral. The danger of this epidemic is not confined to certain cities or certain populations; opioid and heroin addiction affects people of all walks of life,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. “It is up to all of us to reduce the stigma surrounding substance abuse. We cannot afford to wait to act when addiction affects the lives of so many of our neighbors, our friends, and our families.”

DeLauro is currently crafting a bill that will provide $1 billion dollars a year to support community clinics and expand access to treatment for individuals with a history of substance abuse. She also introduced the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Act, which would provide $5 billion to the emergency fund, which the Department of Health and Human Services could use to combat the opioid epidemic.

Expanding access to naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of overdoses, is critical to saving lives and DeLauro has urged the Food and Drug Administration to reclassify naloxone from a prescription drug to an over-the counter-medication. Last week during a budget hearing, DeLauro asked Kana Enomoto, the Acting Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), about giving more people access to the lifesaving drug.

At today’s discussion, DeLauro was joined by Pam Mautte, Director of the Valley Substance Abuse Action Council, and Steve Merz, Vice President and Executive Director, Behavioral Health at Yale-New Haven Hospital. A number of community leaders participated in the discussion, including municipal officials, police officers, doctors, and prevention specialists.

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