Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, my amendment relates to the Centers for Disease Control, establishing a national standard for investigating childhood deaths from sudden infant death syndrome.
The death of a child, Madam Chair, is always a tragedy, but the unexplained nature of some of these deaths only makes it harder for grieving families, as well as public health officials and policymakers who are working to prevent them.
I have had the heartrending experience of walking into the home of parents who are grieving. That grief doesn't just begin when their infant dies, but goes on for a lifetime, wondering: Was it my fault? Could I have done something? Am I a bad parent?
My amendment would help us better understand why thousands of infants between the age of birth and 1, and hundreds of children between the ages of 1 and 4, are still dying unexpectedly in our country. These deaths include those from sudden infant death syndrome.
Scarlett Lillian Pauley was one of those children, Madam Chair. Scarlett loved her pets, including her dog, Stitch, who she called ``Sitch,'' and her cat, Colby, who she called ``Max'' or ``Maps.''
Scarlett loved to smile. She loved books. Her favorite book was ``Barnyard Dance'' by Sandra Boynton, which her mom read to her right before she put her to sleep on January 7, 2017. A few hours later, her mama went to check on her and Scarlett was not breathing in her crib. After being taken to the hospital, this beautiful 16-month-old baby was declared dead on January 8, 2017.
That is just one story. In 2017, there were 3,600 infants who died suddenly and unexpectedly, according to CDC data, including 1,400 from SIDS.
Right now, without a national standard for how to investigate these deaths, different States and different municipalities collect inconsistent and often incomplete data on these unexplained sudden deaths. That hinders the ability to find answers.
I am so pleased that Chairwoman DeLauro has included funding in the base bill for the CDC to increase efforts to better train those who carry out stronger death investigations and improve data collection.
Madam Chair, how much time do I have remaining?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, I thank the ranking member, Mr. Cole, who is a leading cosponsor of my stand-alone legislation to help families that see their children and infants die suddenly get some resolution.
This is an example of smart investments in our healthcare sprinkled throughout this bill.
Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, this amendment would provide $4.5 million in additional funding for the CDC's Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances, also known as DELTA, program to reach the level that the domestic violence advocates have made clear that they need to adequately support this effort.
The DELTA program is dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence. While most Federal programs provide victim services, or hold perpetrators accountable, and train healthcare providers and others to spot or respond to domestic violence, the DELTA program works directly with over 50 communities nationwide to prevent first-time victims and to prevent first-time perpetrators of domestic violence.
With one in three women and one in four men experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetimes, we need this funding now more than ever.
This program works with stakeholders, activists, and mentors to teach youth about sexual assault and teen dating violence while promoting healthy relationships.
This investment was important in my home State of Wisconsin, where the DELTA program created meaningful initiatives among our Tribal communities, like the Oneida's Wise Women Gathering Place and Milwaukee's own Diverse & Resilient organization that worked with LGBTQ youth on safe relationships.
Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), chairwoman of the subcommittee.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. MOORE. Madam Chair, this amendment to add funding to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration would support the distribution of fentanyl test strips by our State and local public health partners.
Unintentional drug overdose deaths have climbed to record high levels, claiming around 70,000 lives in the United States in 2017. One of the drivers is fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is significantly more potent than heroin. Because fentanyl is so cheap and strong, dealers have an incentive to use it to cut drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
In New York City in 2017--just to name one locality, but the story is the same in many other places--fentanyl was involved in 57 percent of all the drug overdose deaths. Between 2000 and 2012, that rate was only 2 percent, but in 2017 it was much higher.
This crisis, a public health epidemic and emergency, means that we need to bring more tools to the fight. While some agencies, like the NIH, have noted the need to consider all evidence-based programs that can help address the damage being caused in our communities by opioids, others, like SAMHSA, have clearly not, which is troubling.
In April, the NIH awarded a grant to the University of Kentucky that aimed at reducing opioid overdose deaths by 40 percent in 16 counties using evidence-based solutions. One of the evidence-based solutions that could be pursued would be using these funds in overdose prevention efforts, such as naloxone distribution and fentanyl test strip distribution.
Unfortunately, it appears that SAMHSA has taken the opposite stance and has warned its grantees against funding such efforts. This is perplexing, Madam Chair, since it receives hundreds of millions of dollars from this Congress to address the opioid crisis, including overdoses.
What is a fentanyl strip? Fentanyl strips are used to detect the presence of fentanyl in drugs. While there are other ways to detect the presence of fentanyl in drugs, testing strips are more sensitive and significantly less expensive than other methods.
Madam Chair, studies have found this approach works to positively influence behavior. Recent studies have found that using these strips can be helpful to reduce fentanyl overdose risks, including leading some individuals to discard their drug supply or taking some other action to reduce harm to themselves.
In one study, those who saw the positive results were five times more likely to change the way they used the drug in an effort to avoid overdosing, and so people want to make moral judgments about it.
Sure, we need to provide rehabilitation services to people, Madam Chair, but it is impossible to rehab someone who is dead.
Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time, and I withdraw my amendment.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source