[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 24, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8130-H8131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BINGHAMTON OPIOID FORUM
(Ms. TENNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a recent community
forum I held at Binghamton University to raise awareness about the
heroin and opioid epidemic ravaging our country.
Every day in America, more than 144 Americans die of a drug overdose.
In Broome County, where our forum was held, 76 people died of an
overdose last year, 90 percent from opioids.
Before the forum, I had the opportunity to tour the New Horizons
Alcohol & Chemical Dependency program at United Health Services to see
firsthand the arduous work our healthcare professionals are undertaking
to fight back against this disease.
In addition to the tour, the forum highlighted that our panel of
healthcare professionals, law enforcement agencies, and community
organizations continues to struggle to keep pace with the rise of
addiction, and it became clear to me by the end of the forum that more
resources are needed.
It was an honor to bring together members of our community to talk
about solutions and highlight that there is hope for the future. I look
forward to taking those ideas that I learned at the forum and putting
those ideas into action by working with my
[[Page H8131]]
colleagues to reduce and eliminate the scourge of addiction.
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