Joe Donnelly: “I come to the floor today to discuss the opioid abuse epidemic, which has taken the lives of too many Hoosiers, harming…”

“I come to the floor today to discuss the opioid abuse epidemic, which has taken the lives of too many Hoosiers, harming families and communities across my State and our country. This is a public health crisis. It is a complex problem, and addressing it will require all of us to work together in a bipartisan way at the Federal, State, and local levels. I am very pleased that the House and the Senate have worked together over many months to write this bipartisan legislation, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. This bill provides important new tools to combat the opioid epidemic and to work to ensure that those providing prevention, treatment, and recovery services in our communities have the resources necessary to help those in need of assistance. I am also proud that this legislation contains several bipartisan bills I helped lead over the past year. For Hoosiers in Northern Indiana, one particular provision in this legislation is particularly significant. On July 26, 2017, Dr. Todd Graham was senselessly murdered in South Bend after refusing to prescribe an opioid to a patient. To honor Dr. Graham's memory, I helped to introduce the bipartisan Dr. Todd Graham Pain Management Improvement Act with my friend and fellow Hoosier Senator Todd Young. This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study Medicare's payment and coverage policies for nonopioid pain treatments.…”