Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019
Floor Speech
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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that would direct the VA to establish an opioid abuse kit for community healthcare providers.
We are fortunate to live in a time when, because of medical advancements, members of the military are surviving combat injuries at unprecedented rates. However, our duty of care for military veterans does not stop there.
As our Nation welcomes home thousands of veterans from missions all over the world, we must be better prepared to provide those who suffer from chronic pain with the help that they need. It is the responsibility of this Congress to do our part to ensure they are receiving the level of healthcare they deserve.
According to VA data, despite the number of opioid prescriptions at the VA declining--and that is the good news--since 2012, the number of veterans with opioid use disorders has spiked 55 percent between 2011 and 2016.
Additionally, the American Public Health Association found that veterans are twice as likely to overdose on prescription opioids as the general population.
The Veterans Health Administration has taken initial steps to combat the growing opioid crisis by rolling out its Opioid Safety Initiative for VA health settings, and the VA has also begun to publish toolkits for its community health providers so they better understand why veterans are looking to them for help.
My amendment provides the resources for the VA to take their efforts a step further. It would direct the VA to utilize the opioid safety resources already available at the VA and create a similar opioid toolkit for healthcare providers at civilian facilities who help veterans with opioid use disorders. This is even more important, Mr. Chairman, because of the establishment of the Veterans Choice Program.
The toolkit will provide safe prescribing practices provide additional resources for effective pain management, and it will ultimately save lives.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join with me in support of this.
Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I know the gentleman from Texas and I will work together on this going forward and, hopefully, this amendment will move us in that direction further.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment that would direct healthcare providers with VA affiliation to continue their efforts at continuing education courses in specific areas to manage pain, opioids, and substance abuse disorders.
Nationally, about 30 percent of Americans have some form of chronic pain. However, the percentage of veterans who report chronic pain is significantly higher. Over 50 percent of elderly veterans report chronic pain, as do 60 percent of veterans returning from current conflicts. In fact, chronic pain is the most common medical problem experienced by returning combat veterans over the last decade.
Of course, pain is not a standalone problem. We are increasingly aware of the mental health, the hidden wounds consequences stemming from time in combat. Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or brain trauma are more likely to report physical pain and, in turn, are more likely to receive a prescription for opioids. Likewise, approximately one out of every three veterans seeking treatment for a substance use disorder also have PTSD.
My amendment addresses this challenge by helping those who provide healthcare services to veterans to learn the latest pain management techniques, understand safe prescribing practices, and spot the signs of potential behavioral health conflicts and challenges, including substance abuse disorders.
Further, my amendment recognizes that VA healthcare providers already need continuing education credits to maintain their State-issued professional licenses. The amendment does not add to the total number of credits that prescribers already have to take. It simply makes sure that appropriate time is spent learning about this important issue.
My constituents are fortunate in Massachusetts because we have State laws that deal with this and require that kind of continuing education on this matter. However, in the other part of my district, in the southwestern portion, most of the veterans in that area go to the Rhode Island veterans center and, in Rhode Island, this is not covered by the State.
Healthcare professionals in Providence, Rhode Island, already have pain management education available, but there is no guarantee that they are taken. There is a recommendation, but no guarantee. My amendment simply makes sure that our veterans get that guarantee. I urge my colleagues to join in support of this amendment.
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Mr. KEATING. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, it is another area where we can keep working together to help veterans, and this amendment will bring us forward in that task.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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