Dupage Policy Journal

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Illinois), a co-sponsor of opioid legislation, spoke at two events on Monday with Surgeon General Jerome Adams, both aimed at addressing the opioid crisis.

At the DuPage Medical Breakthrough Care Center in Wheaton, Roskam and Adams were briefed on the facility’s “groundbreaking” efforts to “provide improved, holistic care to seniors and how they are addressing the opioid epidemic,” according to a press release.

Next, Roskam and Adams both addressed a crowd of physicians and first responders at AMITA Health Adventists Medical Center in Hinsdale about potential ways to meet the crisis.

Sean Casten | castenforcongress.com

Two forum guests, Scott and Rosemarie Baldwin, have seen the negative impact opioid abuse on their family for more than a decade. Scott Baldwin said opioid overdoses, which increased 60 percent in Illinois last year, show the crisis needs powerful advocates. The Baldwins thanked Roskam for his efforts and said their “hope has increased” because of the forum.

“The toll is human and financial,” Scott Baldwin said in the press release. “The disease is real and ruins lives and affects entire families, and it's spreading.”

In June, three pieces of Roskam-supported legislation passed the House as part of a larger package of opioid initiatives, according to the press release. The BEST Act mandates the Department of Health and Human Services to tell Congress how well Medicare Advantage plans address substance abuse.

The COMPASS Act calls for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to establish a criterion for determining when a doctor prescribes too many opioids. A third bill, H.R. 5675, requires prescription drug insurers to set up drug management programs for at-risk beneficiaries.

Roskam is running for re-election against Democrat Sean Casten in the U.S. House race. 

The 6th District includes Crystal Lake, Darien, Elgin, Naperville, Oakbrook Terrace, Rolling Meadows, St. Charles, Warrenville, West Chicago and Wheaton.