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Media Advisory No. 0017.16 Contact: USDA Office of Communications (202) 720-4623 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to Address National Summit on Prescription Drug Abuse
WASHINGTON, March 27 2016 – TOMORROW, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will provide keynote remarks at Operation UNITE’s fifth annual National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit. Following the remarks, Secretary Vilsack will be joined by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Gov. Earl Ray Tomlin for an armchair discussion on opioid addiction in rural communities moderated by Mark Birdwhistell, Vice President of the University of Kentucky Health Care.
Prescription drug and heroin abuse have taken a heartbreaking toll on too many American families, while straining public resources. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows opioids were involved in 28,648 deaths in 2014, which means more Americans are dying from drug overdoses than in motor vehicle accidents each year.
Addressing the opioid epidemic is a priority for this Administration and in January, President Obama appointed Secretary Vilsack to lead an interagency task force focused on this specific challenge. Recent efforts have helped identify effective tools to reduce drug use and overdose, including evidence-based prevention programs, prescription drug monitoring, medication-assisted treatment and the overdose reversal drug naloxone. In order to continue this progress, the President’s FY17 budget includes new mandatory funding to expand access to treatment and help individuals with an opioid use disorder seek and complete treatment, and sustain recovery.
Monday, March 28, 2016 5:15 PM EDT
WHAT: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will give remarks at Operation UNITE’s National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, Ga.
WHERE: The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta Peachtree Ballroom, 8th floor 210 Peachtree St. NW Atlanta, Ga 30303
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