11/11/17

Dear Congressman Gerry Connolly,

My name is Tiebe Michael Green, I am a nursing student at Frostburg State University

attending my last semester of the RN to BSN program. During this semester we covered
population health issues in our own nearby communities. I had great interest in the Opioid crisis
that is affecting our region specifically Prince Williams County.

As you are aware and support the fight for the tackle on the opioid crisis I wanted to
contact you regarding this issue. From your speech on October 22, 2017 you have addressed that
91 fellow Americans succumb, lose their lives to the opioid problem, therefore I had chosen this
topic to enhance the awareness in the community you support. Prince Williams County is the
second largest division with a leading death of drug overdose among those that are 25-54years
old, causing more deaths than vehicle traffic crashes. Whether prescription painkillers or street
illegal drugs, opioid overdose is at a rate of 11.7% in this particular region. According to the
reports from Dart, Prince Williams County first responders the number of overdoses has been on
the rise for the last 5 years. As this is also a national problem this sudden increase is a burden for
the healthcare system as it impacts Ambulance services, Rehabilitation services, Hospitals and
police departments.

I speak of these matters as I have prepared a solution that I have been involved with the
community health clinics. As a short goal for Prince Williams County, one of the ways is
providing van clinics that can drive through the community holding education and awareness
sessions for the residents that dont have access for transportation. Provide education regarding
symptoms and signs of not only over dose but also signs of addiction to families. As a long term
goal mandating pharmaceutical companies to be involved and provide data on over doses cases
to come up with better drugs. More robust substance abuse support centers and groups.

I would like to thank you in advance for taking your time in addressing these issues and
for all the interest that you show the community regarding the fight against Opioid addiction.

Sincerely,

Tiebe Geen, RN.

Work Sheet:

The congress man I selected was Congress man Gerry Connolly, he has been fighting the opioid
and heroin crisis since 2000. He goes to different VA podiums to speak regarding his support of
the fight. Connolly and his staff dug deeper than most in the region due to the passion he has for
this crisis.

He is very well involved in this crisis County Government Center that was aired live, as well as
recorded and available for viewing on the Countys Channel 16. Connolly also works hand in
hand with the law enforcements to fight this epidemic.

They brought in different groups together identified as experts, the policy-makers, the front-line
responders, representatives of those personally affected, and the public at large. Joining forces
with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Connolly and Board Chairman Sharon Bulova
host a roundtable event at different location with in Prince Williams.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 64,000 Americans died from
drug overdoses in 2016 an increase of more than 20 percent over the previous year. Connolly
also announced his introduction of the Opioid Immediate Suspension Order Act (H.R. 4073).
The legislation is designed to restore the DEAs authority to suspend a pharmaceutical
distributors license if the Attorney General finds their actions to be causing an imminent danger
to the public health and safety. H.R. 4073 is Connollys response to the potentially crippling
effect of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 on the DEAs
ability to stop over-distribution. Which I think has an impact on the long term goal for Prince
Williams county.

Connolly doesnt think this is the time to make it harder for the Drug Enforcement Agency to
do their job, citing an example in a small West Virginia town, with a population of 2,924, where
one distributor was able to provide one pharmacy with 258,000 hydrocodone pills in one month,
not to mention the fact that more than 300 million opioid prescriptions were written in the U.S.
last year enough for every man, woman, and child to have their own bottle of powerful
painkillers.

Congressman Gerald E. Gerry Connolly is serving his fifth term in the U.S. House of
Representatives from Virginias 11th District, which includes Fairfax County, Prince William
County, and the City of Fairfax in Northern Virginia. Prior to his election to Congress, he served
14 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, including five years as Chairman.
Throughout his career, protecting and growing Northern Virginias economy has been his top
priority.

Reference:

http://www.alexandriagazette.com/news/2017/oct/26/facing-and-fighting-opioid-crisis/
Dart, R. C., Surratt, H. L., Cicero, T. J., Parrino, M. W., Severtson, S. G., Bucher-Bartelson, B.,
& Green, J. L. (2015). Trends in opioid analgesic abuse and mortality in the United States. N
Engl J Med, 2015(372), 241-248.

Ruan, X., Luo, J. J., Kaye, A. M., & Kaye, A. D. (2017). Nonmedical use of prescription
opioids is associated with heroin initiation among US veterans. Addiction, 112(4), 727-728.

Waljee, J. F., Li, L., Brummett, C. M., & Englesbe, M. J. (2017). Iatrogenic Opioid Dependence
in the United States: Are Surgeons the Gate keepers? annals of surgery, 265(4), 728-730.