U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) recently hosted meetings to garner ideas from community leaders in northern Illinois about how to fight the heroin and opioid epidemic.
Hultgren met with parents, patients and health department advocates on July 25 to discuss the heroin and fentanyl-laced heroin epidemic sweeping communities in and around the Chicago area.
“This meeting was an opportunity for me to hear from the people who are on the ground in Illinois fighting this battle every day,” Hultgren said. “I am inspired by their courage and their commitment to saving our communities from this epidemic. I am looking forward to continuing these conversations this year and drawing on these leaders’ insights to develop real, immediate solutions to this devastating problem and prevent more grief for our neighbors and loved ones.”
Hultgren also met with law enforcement officials to gain a better understanding of fentanyl-laced heroin and the need for effective, long-term treatment and prevention solutions. Attendees also discussed state issues with doctors over-prescribing opioids, which has been attributed as a root cause of the addiction epidemic.
“My hope is that the insights of these community leaders will drive real prevention and treatment plans that can help families in crisis out of the hole of heroin abuse,” Hultgren said.
Hultgren has been a leader in the fight against the country’s addiction epidemic, recently supporting the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act to promote evidence-based solutions to drug prevention and addiction recovery.