Senator Kaine's legislation, S. 1913, Stopping Medication Abuse and Protecting Seniors Act of 2015, also seeks to prevent abuse of prescription medication.

The DOD and VA both are really now--because I think there has been a culture in those organizations, too, that tend to over-rely on opioids.

the Aging Committee's primary purpose is to shine a spotlight on problems.

I think the equivalent of the opioid epidemic in terms of the scope and the number of lives it has touched is more like HIV epidemic.

I cannot resist in saying that method for delivering naloxone... is a really simple way of administration.

you talked about, and others, too, your strong support for the CDC prescriber guidelines.

I want to take this opportunity to personally thank you, Senator Kaine, for your support of REVIVE! and for the distribution of naloxone.

we have to have robust components for those kinds of programs, prevention and education and treatment.

Well, if there is a promising sign in the midst of all these challenges, the fact that this is not politically divisive, at least not in the strict partisan way, is a positive sign, so that means that evidence-based solutions, we ought to…

This is a huge problem.

I want every family in Virginia to be talking about it now, not once there is already a problem.

I have concerns that prescribers are writing--are able to write for such a large number of these pills when maybe five are enough.

I have a 90-year-old mother-in-law who fell 2 days before Christmas and was in the hospital for a fall.

You are saying, not only--you are saying folks were not just not trained, in some instances, they really were mistrained.

Senator Kaine is sponsoring S. 2256, which, if enacted, would include training for prescribers in co-prescribing naloxone whenever opioid pain medication is prescribed.

The Co-Prescribing Saving Lives Act sponsored by Senator Kaine is also an important step in the right direction.

Absolutely. Thank you.

If you do not act when they ask for help, you are setting them up for failure.

I cannot remember, Ms. Wilkins, if it was your testimony or one of the other witnesses, that often the patient's perception is so very different than a family member's perception.

I am just trying to think, when we were--when Senator Herring and I, and I was Governor, were fighting the meth problem...

If we are focusing on family and patient education and we are particularly focused on patients and the families of patients who are seniors, what are good educational strategies that you would suggest to us?

this is something that I think has the potential to help save a lot of lives and prevent a lot of addiction if the Prescription Monitoring Program is used more.

Thank you, Dr. Neuhausen.

I have introduced a bill called the Co-Prescribing Saves Lives Act, which deals with the co-prescription of naloxone.

Falls are such a common health problem for seniors.