City Mission hosts Toomey, Reschenthaler in opioids discussion
The current Congress is notoriously polarized, but Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey noted Tuesday morning that it has been able to overcome partisan wrangling in recent months to combat the opioid epidemic that has hit this part of the country with particular ferocity.
At the City Mission in downtown Washington, Toomey pointed out that he has teamed up with U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, an Alabama Democrat, and other lawmakers to support legislation increasing pressure on countries like China that export fentanyl, which is 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin.
“There is no other issue I have discussed with more frequency with my constituents across the commonwealth than the scourge of opioid addiction,” Toomey said. He pointed to recent indications that the opioid epidemic is leveling off, “but there’s still a great deal of work to be done.”
Toomey was among a contingent of elected officials at the City Mission for what was billed as a panel discussion on the opioid epidemic. Toomey was joined by U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, Washington County Commissioners Diana Irey Vaughan, Harlan Shober and Larry Maggi, and Scott Putnam, Washington’s mayor. The conversation also focused on the role City Mission plays in treating addiction locally.
“The City Mission is on the front line of dealing with this problem,” said Dean Gartland, its president and CEO. “We have a big task in front of us.”
The facility has provided affordable housing and support services to low-income individuals and veterans, many of whom are dealing with addiction-related issues.
Michael Crabtree, the vice president of the City Mission’s board, said the opioid epidemic costs Americans $25 billion annually in health care expenditures, and $5 billion in criminal justice outlays.
“This is an issue that really needs to be addressed,” he said. “We’re lucky to be in a community where individuals have rallied together to provide support.”