Justice for all. Thank you. Our secretary will call the roll. Roll call. President scott. Present. Vice president lim, excused. Commissioner follansbee, excused. Commission sass expected. We dont have a quorum but we will by the time we get to an action item ive been assured by those expected commissioners. We do have some opening remarks so if youd call on discussion item 1 please. Item one opening remarks, Health Service board president and acting director. Mitchell, ill take the privilege of going first, if i may. Thank you. This forum is designed to do several things. Not only to provide more in depth information on certain tommics and issues that topics and issues that will bear on the work and policies in part as well as the issues as we work win providers. Some of these are not unique to the system but theres changes year to year well be addressing today. We began to do this three years ago. The premise was we werent going to try to cover everything. The landscape has changed dr
20 years. Weve been at this for a year and and a half or two years. It seems to me as a culture we need to learn patience. And not believing Silver Bullet answers. Like the mysteries of human pain. It is a complicated thing. Weve not solve this problem in the air and half or two years i would say of course not. We just need to keep working at it. These things exist because they took a long time for these things to exist. And Law Enforcement i would say, in general, some of the most innovative folks and innovative things i have seen come from Law Enforcement. We think not. Think Law Enforcement will be holding onto the old ways. No. Ive been amazed to see remarkably innovative ideas that come out of Law Enforcement. The one that you mentioned is one of them. One that i mentioned in my written testimony is about the transformation of jail. I believe if we come out of this with a new kind of jail, the new way that jail is run as you see actually in the state of kentucky, 2000 jails during
The committee will please come to order. We turn our attention to the opiate crisis. The nations number one Public Health challenge. Our witnesses sam, the author dream and, true to of americas opiate epidemic. Senator moran i will have an opening statement. Though will hear from our witness. Ive suggested if he wants to take more than five minutes to say what he has to say we would welcome that. Theres plenty of conversation back and forth it is unusual to have a single witness utter hearing. This is an unusual topic. One you quote gary franken is the worst madman epidemic in history. The challenge it presents has captured the attention of every member. This is what we call the bipartisan hearing. Most wars are. Democrats and republicans have agreed on the topic, on its importance in the witness. Its my hope that will restrain from lecturing one another and Health Insurance and focus on the topic. This kills more americans every day than car accidents. In each state were reminded of t
The Senate Committee on Health Education labor and Pensions Committee will come to order. Debbie talk about the Opioid Crisis the number one Public Health changes good out witness todays sam quinones. The author of dreamland, a true tale of americas Opioid Epidemic. Senator murray and i will each have an Opening Statement and then i will introduce the witness. Then we will hear from mr. Sam quinones and senators will each have five minutes of questions. This is the only witness i suggest if you want to take more than five minutes, to say whatever he has to say, we welcome that but there will be plenty of conversation back and forth for members of the committee. Mr. Sam quinones it is unusual to have a single witness at our hearings. But this is an unusual topic. One that you quote a professor is probably the worst manmade epidemic in history. The challenge this crisis presents has captured the attention of every member of this committee. Your research and writing has been a claim for t
On the Opioid Epidemic and testified on his research and what he has learned in the course of writing his book. This is two hours. , our witness is sam quinones author of dreamland, a true story of americas Opioid Epidemic. Senators will each have five minutes of questions. Since he is our only witness, if he wants to take more than five minutes to say what he wants to say, we would welcome that. , it is unusual to have a single witness at our hearings and this is an unusual topic, one you say the Washington Post is going the worst manmade epidemic in history. The challenge this crisis presents has captured the attention of every member of this committee. Your research and writing has been acclaimed for its depth and rep depth and breath. This is a bipartisan hearing, one in which democrats and republicans have agreed on the topic and its importance. This is one i hope we will restrain from lecturing each other about Health Insurance and focus on the topic the Opioid Crisis. This epide