McCaskill: Actions being taken to address opioid crisis

(From Sen. Claire McCaskill)

1,067
The # of Missourians who died of drug overdoses in 2014.

6
The # of times the Missouri State House has failed to take action on the opioid crisis since 2007.

Numbers speak for themselves. More prescription opioids are sold in Missouri than any other Midwestern state, and we have the 7th highest drug overdose mortality rate in the country. In 2010, more than 13,000 Missourians were hospitalized for opioid use.

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But despite these facts, our state legislature has refused to implement a statewide prescription drug monitoring program—a commonsense measure that every other state in the country has adopted.

In the absence of action from Jefferson City, I've been fighting to make sure Missouri communities are getting the help they need:

I recently launched an opioids information and resource page to help Missourians find nearby treatment centers, and to provide healthcare providers and advocates with information on monitoring programs

I added language to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act to ensure regional monitoring programs, like those found in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County, have access to federal resources normally reserved for state governments
I toured the state with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who was appointed by President Obama to lead government efforts on heroin and opioid abuse in America.

And I've held hearings and townhalls with law enforcement, medical professionals, and Missouri families affected by the crisis.

For more information on opioid addiction or abuse, please visitwww.mccaskill.senate.gov/opioids.

Missouri communities are shouldering an unnecessary burden because of state inaction, but I won't let them shoulder it alone.