Sandoval joins group of governors seeking help with opioid crisis
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is one of four bipartisan governors who signed a letter Thursday asking for federal support for state- and local-level initiatives to address the nationwide opioid crisis.
In the letter addressed to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the governors express support for nine health care-related bills introduced in the House, including the Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Rooms Act, or POWER Act, which would mandate follow-up care for patients admitted to emergency rooms for an overdose, and the Eliminating Opioid Related Infectious Diseases Act of 2018, which would expand the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s injection drug use infection surveillance program.
“Every day governors face the devastating impact of this disease on our communities, health care system, schools and families,” the letter reads. “Governors need increased financial and technical support to address this crisis and we urge Congress to avoid burdensome requirements on state programs.”
Sandoval, Gov. Steve Bullock, D-Mont., Gov. Charlie Backer, R-Mass., and Gov. Kate Brown, D-Ore., also asked Congress to reauthorize the State Targeted Response Grants to help address opioid abuse in individual states.
Contact Jessie Bekker at jbekker@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow @jessiebekks on Twitter.