Heinrich To Convene Roundtable In Rio Arriba County To Address Heroin And Opioid Crisis
SANTA FE, N.M. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will travel to Rio Arriba County on Wednesday, February 17, 2016, to tour treatment facilities that are helping victims of drug addiction and will host a roundtable discussion on addressing the state's growing heroin and prescription drug addiction epidemic.
Senator Heinrich will be joined by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Regional Director Marjorie Petty for a tour of the New Moon Lodge Treatment Facility and the Delancey Street Foundation in Española Valley to be briefed on substance abuse and addiction services and residential short-term and long-term treatment options.
Later in the afternoon, Senator Heinrich will bring together various local stakeholders, including the Rio Arriba Community Health Council, for a roundtable discussion to highlight ongoing efforts and ways to better address the heroin and prescription drug crisis in New Mexico. Between 2010-2014, Rio Arriba County's drug overdose death rate was 78.4 deaths per 100,000, which was the highest in the state. Senator Heinrich is cosponsoring legislation to provide $600 million in emergency funding for substance abuse programs and provide a series of incentives and resources designed to encourage states and local communities to pursue a full array of proven strategies to combat addiction.
A study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2014, New Mexico had the second-highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the nation. The national drug poisoning deaths per capita was 14.68 per 100,000 and in New Mexico it was 27.3 per 100,000. In 2014, there were approximately 547 people who died in New Mexico due to drug poisoning, including deaths from prescription opioids and heroin overuse.
***Press interested in attending should email press@heinrich.senate.gov or call (202) 228-1578***
Ohkay Owingeh - Wednesday, February 17, 2016
WHAT: Roundtable Discussion on Addressing Heroin and Opioid Crisis
WHEN: 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.
WHERE: Delancey Street Foundation, County Road 40/White Swan Road, House 125, Ohkay Owingeh, N.M. 87566
