Brian Fitzpatrick declaring victory.
Credit: Erich Martin/NewtownPANow.com
New government data on the opioid epidemic was published on Tuesday, showing an increase in emergency and inpatient visits involving opiates and opioids.
The data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shows an increase in visits to the emergency room and other inpatient visits for reasons related to opiates and heroin.
According to the report, there has been a ” dramatic increase nationally in hospitalizations involving opioids” between 2005 and 2014.
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick has spoken out about the numbers and what they mean as a leader on the heroin task force in congress.
“While last Congress’ passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and 21st Century Cures were monumental first steps in countering the opioid crisis, this study highlights that there is more work to be done. This Congress – and this Task Force – must continue to press the issue from all sides; from the trafficking of narcotics across our border to preventing the overprescribing of painkillers,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “However, Congress alone cannot solve this problem. We must be ready and willing to work with state and local leaders, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and educators in our districts. The epidemic of opioid addiction and abuse – and the strains it puts on our communities and families – is too important to be put on the backburner or cast aside in favor of partisan bickering and campaigning,” the congressman said.
Other leaders of the task force, congress people from New Jersey and New Hampshire, spoke similarly about the numbers from the study, restating the responsibility of Congress and individual communities from across the nation to do more.
The task force has 85 members in total. Last year, the force passed 18 bills in one week, which became part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, according to information from Fitzpatrick’s office.
