Apr. 19, 2017
HARRISBURG – On Wednesday, the House Health Committee unanimously approved Rep. Aaron Kaufer’s (R-Luzerne)
House Bill 118, which is part of a 10 bill-package he has introduced this session to combat Pennsylvania’s ongoing opioid crisis.
To ensure emergency drug and alcohol detoxification availability in community hospitals, House Bill 118 would encourage existing health care facilities to convert beds to provide medically supervised detoxification. It would also create a staging area for people who are in need of high quality treatment programs, and may still be in search of an available bed.
“Addiction waits for no one, and this bill will save lives,” Kaufer said. “There is currently a shortage of beds, and when people overdose and receive care, they’re then sent home, rather than staying in a supervised setting where treatment can begin immediately. We are trying to fight an opioid and heroin epidemic in Pennsylvania, and having available treatment is a big part of the solution to this problem. When patients go to the hospital to be treated for a heart attack, they aren’t immediately sent home to go about their day-to-day lives. Addiction needs to be treated in the same way, like the serious medical condition that it is.”
Kaufer is hopeful his other nine bills –
House Bills 115,
116,
117,
119,
120,
121,
122,
123 and
124 – will be brought up for committee votes in the coming weeks. The package pursues a broad approach to address the ongoing opioid epidemic. The bills would empower communities across the Commonwealth by developing strategies for educators, hospitals, law enforcement officers, counselors and families to confront this epidemic.
For more information about House Bill 118, or any other state-related issue, contact Kaufer’s district office in Luzerne located at 161 Main St., by calling 570-283-1001. Information can also be found online at
RepKaufer.com or
Facebook.com/RepKaufer.
Representative Aaron Kaufer
120th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Krisinda Corbin
717.705.2032
KCorbin@pahousegop.com
RepKaufer.com /
Facebook.com/RepKaufer