Senator Tammy Baldwin's office issued the following:
***MEDIA RELEASE***
For Immediate Release
Friday, June 19, 2015
Contact:
press@baldwin.senate.gov
(202) 224-6225
Support Grows for Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act
Endorsements include veterans service organizations and medical professionals
Jason
Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act would provide VA with the tools it needs to address the problem of overprescribing practices
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – As she prepares to introduce the Jason Simcakoski Memorial
Opioid Safety Act, today U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin announced growing
support for her legislation
aimed at providing safer and more effective pain management services to
our nation’s veterans.
In just a few short days, Senator Baldwin’s legislation
has gained support from: Disabled American Veterans Wisconsin,
Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW),
Veterans for Common Sense, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA),
Association of the United States Navy (AUSN), National Guard
Association of the United States (NGAUS), American Society of Addiction
Medicine (ASAM), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and Trust
for America's Health (TFAH).
On
August 30, 2014, U.S. Marine Veteran Jason Simcakoski died at the Tomah
Veterans Affairs Medical Center as a result of mixed drug toxicity.
The Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act
would provide VA with the tools
it needs to help prevent this type of tragedy from occurring to other
veterans and their families.
Disabled American Veterans Wisconsin (DAV Wisconsin) Legislative Director Al Labelle
“Veterans
who struggle with complex pain or mental health care conditions have
earned and deserve a VA health care system that provides them the best
health care available
in a timely manner. The VFW supports this important legislation which
we believe will improve the health care VA provides America’s veterans,
and we thank Senator Baldwin for her leadership in bringing it forward.”
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Legislative Director Raymond Kelley
“The
Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act by Senator Baldwin is
an important step forward in protecting veterans suffering from
debilitating chronic pain. Veterans for Common Sense supports this
thorough, thoughtful legislation, which among its many
wise provisions would reduce risk of overmedication, improve
prescribing guidelines, and advance pain management alternatives.
Importantly, the bill would also require new VA accountability, audits,
and transparency. Veterans for Common Sense salutes Senator
Baldwin's leadership in authoring this bill, and urges Congress to
swiftly pass it to get VA on the right track with regards to opioid
safety.”
Veterans for Common Sense Director Anthony Hardie
“Disabled
American Veterans is dedicated to a single purpose: empowering veterans
to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. Based on several
resolutions adopted
by our membership in our most recent National Convention, DAV strongly
supports the
Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act which seeks to
improve VA patient advocacy services, expand availability of
complementary and alternative health care services for pain management,
and ensure safe prescribing practices of addictive
substances. We appreciate Senator Baldwin’s leadership in developing
this legislation and we urge Congress to proceed with its enactment this
year.”
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Executive Director Garry J. Augustine
“We
cannot save our veterans’ lives by destroying them. The VA must
cautiously utilize opioids for treatment of our veterans with heightened
recognition, monitoring and
control of their attendant dangers. There is no room for the cavalier
prescription of these potentially fatal pharmaceuticals. NGAUS strongly
supports the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act as a long
needed step on the path to improving pain management
care for our deserving veterans and their families.”
National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) Outgoing Director of Legislation Peter J. Duffy, Colonel U.S. Army (Ret)
“The
American Society of Addiction Medicine is pleased to support the
introduction of the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act,
sponsored by Senator Baldwin. Improving
opioid prescribing practices, including through prescriber education,
is a crucial component of a multipronged effort to stem the epidemic of
prescription drug addiction and overdose deaths in the U.S., and we
applaud the Senator for the comprehensive approach
this legislation takes to ensuring our veterans receive safe and
compassionate care.”
American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) President R. Jeffrey Goldsmith, MD, DLFAPA, FASAM
“As
the nation’s largest organization representing people living with
serious mental illness and their families, the National Alliance on
Mental Illness offers our strong
support for the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act and
Senator Baldwin’s leadership in bringing forward legislation that aims
to provide safe and appropriate opioid prescribing practices at the VA.
We applaud the Senator’s call to provide enhanced
prescribing guidelines, case management, monitoring programs, the
establishment of pain management boards, and in providing access to
community meetings to address these issues. We thank Senator Baldwin for
bringing this important legislation forward and look
forward to working to ensure its swift passage.”
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Manager of
Military and Veterans Policy Ingrid Herrera-Yee, PhD
“Trust for America’s Health is pleased to endorse the
Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act, which will help
improve healthcare for our nation’s veterans. Prescription drug abuse
has become a public health crisis—60 Americans die every day from a
prescription drug overdose. By
strengthening the Department of Veterans Affairs’ opioid prescribing
guidelines; improving pain management services; increasing access to
lifesaving rescue medications; and ensuring that opioid prescribers have
appropriate training and education, this legislation
will prevent and reduce drug abuse and misuse. TFAH applauds Senator
Baldwin for her work in introducing this important legislation.”
Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) Executive Director Jeffrey Levi, PhD
"This
is an opportunity to take all of this and learn from it. We have a
chance to create a new path; or we can continue how we currently are and
keep making the same
mistakes we are today,” said Heather Simcakoski, Jason’s widow.
“When I look back at the past, I want to know we made a difference. I
want to believe we have leaders in our country who care. I want to
inspire others to never give up because change is
possible."
"This
legislation from Senator Baldwin is one of the most important actions we
can take to save the lives of our greatest assets, our veterans,”
said Marv Simcakoski, Jason’s father.
Senator
Baldwin’s legislation, crafted in close consultation with medical
professionals, veterans service organizations, and the Simcakoski
family, focuses on strengthening
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opioid prescribing
guidelines and improving pain management services by putting the
following reforms in place:
·
Requiring stronger
opioid prescribing guidelines and education for VA providers including
stricter standards against prescribing dangerous combinations of opioids
with other drugs and for prescribing opioids to patients struggling
with mental health issues;
·
Increased
coordination and communication throughout the VA with medical
facilities, providers, patients and their families surrounding pain
management, alternative
treatments for chronic pain, and appropriate opioid therapy; and
·
Holding the VA
system accountable for appropriate care and quality standards through
consistent internal audits as well as GAO reviews and reports to
Congress.
In addition to improving opioid therapy and pain management, the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act helps strengthen
patient advocacy, expand access to complementary and integrative health and wellness, and enhance VA hiring and internal audits.
View an online version of this release
here.
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