Shaheen Statement on Surgeon General Advisory for More Americans to Carry Naloxone

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement in response to the Surgeon General’s advisory recommending that more Americans carry naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug. New Hampshire has the third highest drug overdose death rate in the nation.

“This advisory from the Surgeon General is a stark reminder of the pervasiveness of the opioid epidemic, and underscores the dire need for federal resources in states like New Hampshire that are on the frontlines of the crisis,” said Shaheen. “Congress did its job and delivered a robust federal government funding bill that includes additional support for our law enforcement, healthcare providers and recovery centers. The administration must act and immediately begin allocating these federal dollars to our communities that urgently need assistance.”

Senator Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the lead Democrat of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee, has led efforts in Congress to respond to the opioid crisis. As a result of her advocacy on the bipartisan Common Sense Caucus and her engagement during the writing of the funding bill that was recently signed into law, Senator Shaheen secured the $3.3 billion in additional resources. This funding will go towards a number of key programs through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for treatment and prevention, the Department of Justice for law enforcement and grant resources, and other federal agencies to help communities impacted by the opioid epidemic. Last month, Senator Shaheen led a New Hampshire delegation letter to the Department of HHS and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), calling on the Trump administration to make sure New Hampshire gets its fair share of the new opioid funding.

Just yesterday, Shaheen led a letter with Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), calling for the Federal Aviation Administration to include naloxone in Emergency Medical Kits (EMK) on passenger airlines.