Originally Published in Daily Local News

Written by MediaNews Group

WEST CHESTER—Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro met Tuesday with health care providers and community leaders on the front lines of the opioid epidemic in Reading. Houlahan announced her support for two bipartisan bills that will help hospitals and communities to prevent substance abuse and respond to opioid overdoses.

“The opioid epidemic has touched too many families in my community,” said Houlahan. “Today, I heard from community leaders about the challenge of responding to this crisis, and the Federal government needs to step up with additional resources. I am grateful for AG Shapiro’s leadership in holding opioid manufacturers accountable for fraudulent marketing and appreciate him spending time with our community today.”

Participants in the roundtable discussion included the leadership of Reading Hospital, which is a designated “Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence” as well as leaders and clinicians from the Berks Counseling Center, a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Reading. The group shared experiences treating patients suffering from overdoses, working with mothers and babies addicted to opioids, and strategies for preventing substance abuse and addiction through community engagement.
During the event, Houlahan announced her support for two important bills:

The Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 2439): This bipartisan bill would create 1,000 additional residency positions over five years to hospitals with addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain management programs. Full text here.

The State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act (H.R. 2466): This bipartisan bill provides $5 billion over five years in federal grants to states for response to the opioid epidemic. These grants have helped provide additional treatment beds, hire and train health care providers, support prevention campaigns, and other prevention and response projects. In 2018, Pennsylvania received a $55.9 million grant from the Federal government – this bill would make sure these grants remain available as states continue to combat this epidemic.