WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — Congressmen Bill Keating (D-MA) and Keith Rothfus (R-PA) today introduced the Co-Prescribing Saves Lives Act of 2016 (H.R. 4841). The bill would encourage physicians to co-prescribe naloxone alongside opioid prescriptions, and make naloxone more widely available in federal health settings. Along with federally qualified health centers, the bill specifically requires the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Indian Health Service to develop their own co-prescribing guidelines tailored to their individual needs.
Additionally, it would authorize a program to grant funds to state health departments to encourage the establishment of co-prescribing guidelines, assist in the purchase of naloxone, fund training for health professionals and patients, and support patient co-pays.
Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid-related overdoses, including heroin and fentanyl, and is used as a critical tool in preventing fatal opioid overdose having reversed more than 26,000 overdoses between 1996 and 2014. Many community, state, and national groups, including the American Medical Association, have supported co-prescribing naloxone to patients who are taking opioids as a critical part of the solution to the rising epidemic of opioid-overdose related deaths. By co-prescribing naloxone, health professionals can get this life-saving drug into the homes of those who are most at-risk of overdose.
“Although we must continue working to eliminate opioid abuse and the heroin epidemic, it is imperative that we provide members of our community in Massachusetts with lifesaving resources that will allow them to seek the treatment they need. Congressman Rothfus and I are introducing this bipartisan legislation in order to do just that – save lives and avoid fatal overdoses,” said Congressman Keating.
“Opioid abuse and the heroin epidemic in Western Pennsylvania are destroying families and devastating communities. Too many have been lost to opioid overdoses. This bipartisan legislation is one more step in addressing this scourge. The time to act is now,” said Congressman Rothfus.
Congressman Keating is a member of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus and the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse. He introduced H.R. 2335, the Stop Tampering of Prescription Pills Act of 2015, which incentivizes safer, tamper-resistant formulations of commonly abused painkillers, and he will be speaking about his work combatting the opioid epidemic at the annual National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit later this month.
Congressman Rothfus is a member of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, which hosts roundtable discussions treatment, prevention, and law enforcement professionals to develop the best possible solutions to the heroin crisis. He is also hosting a series of roundtable discussions in PA-12 with local leaders to ensure that federal agencies and officials are working with state and local partners, both inside and outside of government, to address the crisis.
Source: Office of Congressmen Bill Keating
