Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support of H.R. 5197, the Alternatives to Opioids in the Emergency Department Act. Emergency rooms are uniquely positioned to prevent addiction before it starts through the conservative and judicious prescribing of opioids. By establishing a demonstration program to test alternative pain management protocols to limit the use of opioids in hospital emergency departments, H.R. 5197 places emergency rooms on the front lines of defense against this opioid crisis. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Pascrell and Representative McKinley, along with Representative DeGette and Representative Tipton for leading this important initiative. Throughout my district in Oregon, I met with victims, families, treatment advocates, medical providers, and law enforcement officers on the front lines of this fight in our communities. That includes Mike Pelfrey of Grants Pass. The first time I met Mike was at a roundtable in Medford, I think, in southern Oregon. Mike didn't really know anybody in the room. I had invited these folks to come around the table. They were addiction specialists, they were in the treatment programs, and they were law enforcement. I noticed he was there. He had heard the news about our meeting to discuss opioid abuse. When we had finished going around the table, I said: So what brings you here, sir? And then he told me his family's story.…”