Senator Pat Toomey hosts roundtable discussion to learn more about the local impact of the opioid epidemic
Written by Victoria Scialfa on June 7, 2021
Senator Pat Toomey hosts roundtable discussion to learn more about the local impact of the opioid epidemic
By Genesis Ortega
June 7, 2021
Senator Pat Toomey held a recent roundtable discussion with Lehigh Valley health officials and local parents who have lost children to opioid addiction.
One issue local health officials brought up was the importance of focusing on mental health problems that can lead to addiction.
Gillian Beauchamp is a toxicologist and addiction physician for Lehigh Valley Health Network.
“Unless we address the underlying conditions that are leading people: the trauma, the stress, all of which was exacerbated by the pandemic.”
Toomey says this feedback will influence how he addresses the opioid crisis at the federal level.
“The big takeaway for me is to think more in terms of the underlying addiction and the mental health problems at least as much as we think about trying to interrupt [the] supply [of opioids].”
According to the Lehigh County District Attorney, in 2020 there were 184 overdose deaths, a nine percent increase from the year before.
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