WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented today regarding the release of the Surgeon General’s Report: “Facing Addiction in America.” Last year, Senators McConnell and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) called on the Department of Health and Human Services to issue the report.

Currently, drug overdoses claim 104 Kentuckians per month and 129 lives across America each day. Kentucky is among one of the hardest-hit states, claiming a record 1,248 lives last year.

“With the alarming rise of opioid-related addictions and deaths in Kentucky and across the country, I was pleased to see this report highlight community-based prevention programs as being highly effective and encourages the importance of coordinated efforts to fight the epidemic,” Senator McConnell said.

The report finds that medications can be effective in treating opioid abuse, however the number of practicing physicians that offer these medications are lacking. It acknowledges the measures in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) – passed and signed into law earlier this year – are important steps in helping fight the opioid epidemic.

“The implementation of CARA will help tackle the prescription opioid and heroin crisis by increasing prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts at the community and federal levels and it expands treatment by giving prescribing authority to nurse practitioners and physician assistants to administer medication-assisted treatments for opioid addiction. In the end, the report confirms that more needs to be done and as Majority Leader, I will continue to work with Senator Markey and others on our bipartisan efforts to fight this tragic epidemic,” Senator McConnell added.

A copy of the letter Senators McConnell and Markey sent to HHS can be found HERE. A copy of the Surgeon General’s Report is available HERE.