Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is a co-lead of the Opioid Workforce Act, which will provide Medicare support for an additional 1,000 graduate medical school residency positions to combat the opioid crisis across the country. This will allow hospitals and other medical facilities to access resources to train doctors in treating substance abuse and pain management more effectively.
“Every single person knows of a family that has been devastated by the opioid crisis, and deaths related to overdoses have outpaced car accidents as the number one killer of young people,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “The number of health care professionals focused on the treatment and prevention of opioid abuse directly translates to the number of people who can be saved. In my district, so many families are suffering due to the wide-spread impact of this public health crisis, which is why I’m co-leading this bipartisan and life-saving bill.”
“HANYS applauds Rep. Stefanik’s leadership in the fight against the nation’s opioid epidemic,” said Healthcare Association of New York State President Bea Grause. “Crucial to this effort is ensuring an adequate supply of physicians who specialize in treating substance use disorders and pain management by supporting and expanding federal support for Graduate Medical Education. The Opioid Workforce Act is an important step in that process and we look forward to working with Rep. Stefanik to secure passage of this bill.”
“This important bill tackles the nation’s opioid crisis head-on by significantly increasing the number of physicians specially trained to treat patients with substance use disorders,” said Greater New York Hospital Association president Kenneth E. Raske. “The hospital community applauds Representatives Schneider, Brooks, Stefanik and Kuster for their leadership on this vital issue.”
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