Issue Position: Tackling the Opioid Epidemic

Issue Position

Last year, Cape Cod ranked number one in opioid deaths.

Last year the Cape had the highest rate of overdose deaths per capita in the state, followed closely by Dukes County - there is a severe shortage of services. There are no inpatient beds available on the Islands, and new residential rehabilitation beds have not been added in nearly a decade. We need a State Senator with the background, leadership and track record to handle our state's top public health crisis. When comes to protecting the public, results matter, and I will lead by advocating for improved treatment programs. As State Senator, I resolve to:

*Deliver more treatment beds on the Cape and finally establish treatment on the Islands
*Promote legislation that cares for the whole person by providing long term treatment
*Advocate for community based recovery programs
*Support proven proactive community policing strategies that focus on preventative engagement with high risk groups, such as grants to train more crisis-intervention coordinators in our police departments
*Provide stable resources for the Barnstable Drug Court - a treatment program for nonviolent offenders currently without sustained funding

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