Opioid abuse has become a "national epidemic" that is particularly devastating on the most vulnerable victims — the newborns of addicted mothers, West Virginia GOP Rep. Evan Jenkins said Saturday.
In the weekly Republican address, Jenkins lauded legislation spearheaded by Republicans geared toward helping children exposed to drug use, and mothers struggling with addiction.
"This struggle is a national epidemic," Jenkins said. "It could happen to anyone. But no one deserves to start his or her life in withdrawal. It is our responsibility to care for the most vulnerable in our society."
Jenkins said innovative treatments for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome — "truly a terrible way to come into this world" — are being developed, including a a pediatric recovery center in Huntington, W. Va., called "Lily's Place."
"We need more programs like it, but it took years of cutting through red tape just to get this one program set up," Jenkins said.
Last November, Congress enacted legislation, which Jenkins helped champion, to develop treatments for expecting mothers with opioid addictions — and Jenkins said he recently introduced the Nurturing and Supporting Healthy Babies Act that will expand understanding of the condition.
"We are focused on getting a bill to the president's desk in the coming weeks," Jenkins said.
The effort is just one of a number of initiates addressing the growing problem of opioids in America, according to
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
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