[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              THE FACES OF OPIOID ABUSE DEMAND A SOLUTION

  (Mr. HULTGREN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HULTGREN. Madam Speaker, in 2014, our community leaders, 
families, and victims alike came together to fight the growing epidemic 
of heroin and opioid abuse in northern Illinois. Together we launched a 
district-wide action plan. Today we can celebrate many successes as its 
recommendations have been implemented.
  This year DuPage County celebrated 100 lives saved by first 
responders using Narcan. Lake County officers counted 65 rescues, and 
there are many more throughout the Chicago suburbs. Tragically, 
relapses and overdoses still claim lives.
  I have met families and parents who know this too well. Tim Ryan grew 
up in my district in Crystal Lake and overcame his own heroin habit 
only to see his own 20-year-old son die of an overdose.
  Today, this afternoon, tonight, young people are still using heroin. 
Prescription drugs are still being abused in our communities. Our fight 
is far from over. We must continue to work through meaningful community 
and State partnerships.
  Connecting affected individuals and organizations with each other is 
paramount to our future success. The faces and the stories of heroin 
are real. They demand and deserve hope and solutions.

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