Today, President Donald Trump signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, a historic new law combating the opioid crisis across the country. The legislation is a major bipartisan agreement borne out of the House's work in June and the Senate's work in September.
Congressman Moolenaar voted for the SUPPORT Act when it passed in the House earlier this year. He made the following statement on today's bill signing:
"President Trump has made stopping the opioid crisis a top priority since he took office. Today's new law will help prevent opioid abuse and provide more treatment for those in need. Through my conversations with families, health care professionals, and local leaders, I know there is an urgent need for assistance in our region. By empowering new research into pain relief and supporting efforts to stop fentanyl in our communities, this comprehensive new law takes on many of the problems associated with the epidemic and it will help save lives."
More on the Legislation
A 26-page summary of the legislation is available here. Major parts of the legislation include:
New Research: The legislation provides the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with new, flexible authorities to conduct innovative research and spur urgently needed research on new non-addictive pain medications.
Jessie's Law: The legislation will ensure medical professionals have access to a consenting patient's complete health history when making treatment decisions by requiring the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and disseminate best practices regarding the prominent display of substance use disorder (SUD) history in patient records of patients who have previously provided this information to a health care provider.
Safe Disposal of Unused Medications: The legislation will help reduce the number of unused controlled substances at risk of diversion or misuse by allowing hospice employees to safely dispose of these medications on site after the death of a patient.
Stopping Fentanyl: The legislation authorizes grants to state and local agencies to improve coordination between public health laboratories and laboratories operated by law enforcement to improve detection of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.