U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) hosted a roundtable discussion in Quincy, Ill., on Tuesday with local police, treatment specialists, government officials and medical providers to discuss the opioid and heroin epidemic.
More than a dozen pieces of legislation related to the nation’s drug epidemic have been introduced in the House of Representatives, and LaHood said that he planned to take feedback from Tuesday’s roundtable back to Washington, D.C.
“This epidemic transcends socio-economic status, it transcends educational levels, it transcends racial differences, and it transcends specific age groups. As a former state and federal prosecutor for over a decade, I am familiar with drug addiction and overdose,” LaHood said. “Today, I wanted to hear from those handling this crisis on the frontlines, from all angles, to learn how I can bolster these local efforts at the federal level in Congress. The takeaway is that there are phenomenal efforts underway, but there is still much that can be done to address addiction.”
EMS in Adams County, Ill., saw four times more heroin overdoses last summer than they expected. Crews had to double their stock of the overdose antidote Narcan as a result.
“I really appreciate Congressman LaHood coming to town to discuss this problem with us,” Sgt. Patrick Frazier of the West Central Illinois Task Force said. “This is an issue for our community. Many of us remember that last summer we had quite a problem with heroin overdoses. This is a new problem for our community, but, sadly, it is nationwide. It needs attention at the federal level, so we are thankful to the congressman for coming today.”
Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore said that Tuesday’s roundtable was “a good first step, but it is not the only step we will take.”
“I want to thank the congressman for his proactive approach in bringing us together to talk about this issue,” Moore said. “We have seen a rise in heroin abuse, which led to unfortunate and untimely deaths from abuse in the community. It will take a hands-on approach by all levels of government, not only locally but also in the state and federal governments — and alongside our partners — to address it.”