Senator Tammy Baldwin's office issued this press release Friday:
For Immediate Release
Friday, July 8, 2016
Contact: press@baldwin.senate.gov
(202) 224 - 6225
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin’s Bipartisan VA Reforms Pass the House of Representatives, Move to the Senate
Jason
Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act continues to move forward after
being approved by House and Senate Conference Committee this week
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement today
after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the House and
Senate Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Conference Committee
legislation, which included bipartisan VA reforms Senator Baldwin
authored in the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act (S.1641):
“I’m proud to
have worked with the Simcakoski family to introduce these bipartisan VA
reforms, and I am pleased that the House passed them today and that the
Senate will now vote on them next week,” said Senator Baldwin.
“This legislation advances critical provisions that would strengthen
the Department of Veterans Affairs’ opioid prescribing guidelines and
put in place stronger oversight and accountability for the quality of
care we are providing our veterans. My goal is to enact these meaningful
reforms to prevent Jason’s tragedy from happening to other veterans and
their families. This week, we continued to move closer to achieving
this goal of safer and more effective pain management services for our
nation’s veterans.”
Senator Baldwin’s Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act,
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;
· Increasing
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 strengthens
the VA’s patient advocacy program by ensuring advocates are independent
and truly work for veterans, expands access to complementary and
integrative health and wellness, and enhances VA hiring practices to
help prevent bad doctors from treating veterans.
Senator
Baldwin’s bipartisan legislation has also gained support from: Disabled
American Veterans Wisconsin, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans
of Foreign Wars (VFW), The American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of
America (PVA), Veterans for Common Sense, Vietnam Veterans of America
(VVA), Association of the United States Navy (AUSN), Military Health
Project, National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS),
Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), American Veterans
(AMVETS), Military Order of the Purple Heart, American Society of
Addiction Medicine (ASAM), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI),
American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the Wisconsin
Medical Society, Trust for America's Health (TFAH), Harm Reduction
Coalition, and the National Safety Council.
The conference legislation also includes Senator
Baldwin’s bipartisan bill with Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) to make
naloxone rescue kits more affordable and accessible to our nation’s
veterans by eliminating veteran copayments for naloxone.
An online version of this release is available here.
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