ASA Member and Indiana Health Commissioner Testifies in House Committee

On May 21, ASA member Jerome Adams, M.D., who serves as the Indiana Health Commissioner, spoke before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce during a hearing to discuss "What are the State Governments Doing to Combat the Opioid Abuse Epidemic?"

Speaking from his experience as a physician anesthesiologist and with drug abuse in his family, Dr. Adams said that education, patient-centered care and community empowerment would be key to solving the opioid abuse epidemic.

During the 2015 Legislative Conference, Dr. Adams discussed the importance of state-level advocacy by physician anesthesiologists and his ongoing work to combat drug addiction in Indiana.

ASA supports ongoing efforts to make safe use of prescription opioids a priority.  ASA worked with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to develop an informational card that provides easy-to-understand lifesaving techniques to help friends and family attend to someone suspected of an opioid overdose.

Find more information about the hearing, including Dr. Adams' testimony and video, here: http://energycommerce.house.gov/hearing/what-are-state-governments-doing-combat-opioid-abuse-epidemic