DeLauro Reiterates Call for Public Health Emergency Funding to Address Opioid Epidemic

WASHINGTON, DC (August 30, 2017) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement in response to the opioid epidemic in Connecticut and across the nation.

"The latest numbers from Connecticut's Chief Medical Examiner confirm the opioid crisis continues to ravage Connecticut—tearing apart families and taking precious lives from us," said DeLauro. "Connecticut is on track to see more than 1,000 deaths due to drugs at the current rate. That is unacceptable."

"We have a moral duty to address this crisis and save as many lives as possible. The federal government must step up to help struggling communities. To that end, Congress must immediately pass the Public Health Emergency Fund Act to put $5 billion into the existing Public Health Emergency Fund," continued DeLauro. "The Public Health Emergency Fund is modeled on the Disaster Relief Fund, which enables a rapid federal response following a natural disaster. If we can act quickly to respond to natural disasters, we should be able to act quickly to respond to public health emergencies."

DeLauro is the senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).