Senator visited treatment facility in Chillicothe on Thursday

CHILLICOTHE — After visiting the Groups treatment facility which provides affordable, evidence-based outpatient treatment for opiate addiction in Chillicothe on Thursday, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, issued a statement in response to President Donald Trump announcing his decision to declare a national emergency on opioid abuse.

“There is no doubt that this heroin and prescription drug epidemic is a crisis affecting our entire country, and I applaud the president for his decision to declare it a national emergency,” Portman said. “While Congress has made some progress in addressing this crisis by passing the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act and the 21st Century CURES Act, we can and should do more.”

Portman cited the need to devote more resources to the crisis.

“We must continue to fully fund important programs on prevention, treatment, and recovery, and we must take additional legislative action to help stop overprescribing, increase the number of treatment beds covered by Medicaid at residential treatment facilities, and help stop the flow of synthetic opioids that are shipped into this country through the postal service,” he said. “I was pleased the Trump Administration again endorsed the STOP Act in its interim opioid report last week, and I would urge the Senate to act on this bipartisan legislation soon.”