releases: https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/greg-walden-holds-roundtable-discussion-hear-personal-stories-opioid
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/greg-walden-holds-roundtable-discussion-hear-personal-stories-opioid | Greg Walden holds roundtable discussion to hear personal stories from opioid crisis | 2018-04-19 | 2018 | 2018-04 | Republican | House | OR | Greg Walden | W000791 | walden.house.gov | legacy | Greg Walden holds roundtable discussion to hear personal stories from opioid crisis Grants Pass mother joins advocates from across the country to participate in panel on combating nationwide crisis Rep. Walden listens to testimony from Paula Peterson (on screen) of Grants Pass during a roundtable discussion on the opioid crisis. Click here to view Walden's opening remarks from today's roundtable. WASHINGTON, D.C. Continuing his efforts to combat the opioid crisis in Oregon and across the country, Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) today held a roundtable discussion with advocates from across the country who have been personally impacted by the crisis. Walden, who serves as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, invited a mother from Grants Pass to participate in the roundtable via video conference and share her story. During the discussion, Walden said these meetings are crucial to putting forth concrete solutions to help stem the tide of the opioid crisis and save lives. "This is probably the most important meeting we've held because you all have been there, in the trenches, and have lived this terrible tragedy that has befallen our country. We've seen quadrupled opioid deaths since 1999. More people die from opioid overdoses in America than traffic accidents. That is why it is my top priority on this committee and why we are so focused on this, said Walden to the participants at today's roundtable. I had a roundtable -- of many in my district -- and Paula was there with her son and told a very powerful story about what her family is going through right now. Paula thank you for joining us via video conference. Walden was referencing Paula Peterson, of Grants Pass, who participated in the roundtable via video conference from Walden's district office in Medford. Paula Peterson is a founding member of the Oregon chapter of Families Anonymous, a nationwide program for friends and family members of those struggling with addiction, and detailed how opioid abuse has personally impactedher family. Click here or on the image above to view Paula Peterson's testimony during today's roundtable I am a middle-class American mom. My husband and I have two sons together, Cole who lives in Eugene and Jacob who lives with us, began Peterson. Cole, my oldest, recently spoke with me at a roundtable meeting in Grants Pass, where we met Representative Walden. He gave me permission to share his story. He started using oxycodone occasionally around 15 or 16 years old. It was freely available to him from two or three of his friends whose parents or grandparents had stockpiled unused pain medications. When the formula for oxy got switched so that it couldn't be crushed to smoke or snort, they looked for other sources. At that time, he was living in a neighborhood where heroin was plentiful. He was not alone -- almost all of his friends got hooked on heroin. These were, and are, good kids. Two of his close friends are lost to the streets or jail, the others are on Suboxone, including Cole. Peterson went on to stress the need for Congress to make Suboxone and other medication-assisted treatments more readily available to those struggling with addiction, to remove the stigma of opioid abuse, and to increase research into the root causes of addiction. We also need to remove the stigma of substance abuse -- we can't be afraid to ask for help. And more research is needed on the changes that happen to the brain for addicts. I appreciate the work of this committee to make progress on these issues -- we have the potential to make a difference for families like mine, and that is the most important thing. Today's roundtable comes as Walden recently highlighted more than $6.5 million in grants Oregon will receive to help combat opioid addiction. Under Walden's leadership, Energy and Commerce is in the midst of a two-track push to combat the opioid crisis, seeking to advance legislation to help stem the tide and investigate some of the root causes of the crisis. Specifically, the committee's legislative efforts have examined bills to: improve patient safety and bolster enforcement tools, advance prevention and public health solutions, and address coverage and payment issues within Medicare and Medicaid. For more information on today's roundtable, including a witness list and archived webcast, please click here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |