U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) will be in Eastern Oregon on Tuesday, May 3 for a series of public events and meetings with Oregonians.
At 1:45 p.m. at Good Shepherd Medical Center, Walden will host a roundtable event with drug prevention advocates, physicians, law enforcement, and families to discuss how to combat opioid abuse in Oregon and across the country. Walden will provide an update on recent work in the U.S. House to address the issue of opioid abuse and help prevent further tragic deaths from overdoses. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, of which Walden is a member, recently approved a series of bills focused on improving treatment and recovery programs for those struggling with drug addiction.
Opioid abuse is a serious problem in Oregon, where over 100 million opioids are prescribed annually. A majority of drug overdose deaths in the state are now associated with prescription opioids, with more Oregonians dying of opioid overdoses every year than car accidents. Oregon ranks fourth in the country in terms of non-medical use of prescription pain relievers.
