[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 144 (Thursday, September 7, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H7096-H7097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HEROIN AND OPIOID USERS NEED ``A WAY OUT'' OF ADDICTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Hultgren) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today full of sorrow and hope for 
those caught in the cycle of addiction to heroin and opioids.
  This destructive plague is taking aim at Americans across the 
country--young and old, rich and poor, rural and urban.
  Nowhere is this more true than in the Chicagoland area, a hub for 
drug trafficking spreading across northern Illinois, the Midwest, and 
the United States.
  The collar counties of Chicago have felt it strongly. This year, in 
Will County alone, there have been 61 accidental overdose cases and 44 
deaths from heroin and fentanyl overdoses. This is an extremely 
discouraging pace, surpassing previous years.
  The numbers are similar across the seven counties that I represent in 
the 14th Congressional District. Stories have been long untold, and it 
continues to gain national attention. It still haunts our communities 
today.
  I got involved in this issue more than 3 years ago when I met Ken 
Chiakas, who lost his 17-year-old daughter Stephanie to a heroin 
overdose. Together, we launched our community action plan on heroin, an 
analysis of our community leadership forum on the problem, an audit of 
existing and proposed community partnerships, and the next steps for 
our communities, our State, and our county.
  In the years following this initiative, I have hosted meetings with 
law enforcement officers, treatment center workers, advocates for 
patients and lost loved ones, State and local government officials, 
emergency room physicians, pharmacists, and drug manufacturers.
  Last month, my staff and I traveled throughout McHenry and Lake 
Counties to hear from local officials firsthand who are experiencing 
this plague every single day.
  Law enforcement first responders are on the front lines fighting drug 
traffickers and dealers. They are also saving lives by reviving abusers 
in the midst of an overdose through the use of naloxone. It is now 
common practice in these police and sheriff's departments to have 
naloxone ready to be deployed in the hands of capable and trained 
officers. Many lives have now been spared through its use
  But even these encouraging numbers do not tell the whole story. 
Countless others live and struggle to fight heroin and opioid abuse 
every day in search of treatment and battling towards recovery. They 
know what it is like to face an overwhelming force controlling their 
lives. It affects their relationships, it affects their outlook on 
life, it affects their ability to obtain and keep quality jobs.
  Local officials expressed great concern at the loss of workforce, and 
the many months and years of career advancement and experience those 
caught in addiction have lost. Businesses are concerned by their search 
for qualified workers that doesn't yield enough or any applicants. 
Families are concerned that, without adequate outpatient treatment, 
their loved ones are far more likely to relapse, compounding these 
workforce and community problems.
  That is why, among other programs, Lake County law enforcement has 
worked hard to implement the ``A Way Out'' program. Police officers and 
sheriffs' deputies come into regular contact with those caught in 
heroin and opioid abuse, sometimes seeing the same offenders in police 
stations and prisons several times a month.
  Many of these men and women want to be free but don't know how, and a 
police officer is the last person they think to ask for help. A Way Out 
empowers police officers and opioid users to work together to end the 
destructive cycle of abuse, dependency, arrest, and relapse.
  The program is simple. Those who seriously want help can ask for it 
from a police officer or at a police station and can receive help 
without fear of arrest or inability to pay for treatment. Officers who 
see the destruction of opioids every day want to help.
  All that is required is for the person seeking treatment to choose 
the path of recovery. Individual motivation is essential to success. As 
of last summer, 15 people at 8 different police departments have taken 
advantage of this initiative.
  Similarly, DuPage County launched Project Connect, a prearrest 
program through which individuals who have been administered Narcan are 
immediately offered treatment options and a case manager to see these 
men and women through to recovery.
  I am so encouraged by and proud of the success stories I hear 
throughout the 14th Congressional District every day. Hope is near when 
those in recovery see a vision of what their life can be like after 
dependency--a life filled with healthy relationships, challenging and 
meaningful work, and a clear sense of individual purpose.
  We must do all we can to offer this hope to those still suffering 
from heroin and opioid addiction. Connecting affected individuals with 
the people and organizations best equipped to help them is paramount to 
overcoming this devastating epidemic.
  It remains my goal to make northern Illinois the hub of the best 
minds and the best practices in heroin and opioid abuse prevention, 
treatment, and recovery. I look forward to sharing these

[[Page H7097]]

best practices and recommendations across other congressional districts 
and the communities that we are here to serve, and ultimately to see 
lives saved.

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