U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Hosts Roundtable with La Crosse County Officials on Fighting the Opioid Epidemic

LA CROSSE, WI - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today hosted a roundtable with La Crosse County law enforcement and health officials to get an update on the county’s efforts to address drug abuse in the community and ensure that La Crosse County officials have the tools they need to combat the opioid epidemic and save lives. Senator Baldwin has been pushing for expanded resources to help fight the opioid epidemic that is devastating communities and families across Wisconsin. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Baldwin helped secure a $3 billion increase in federal funding to fight the opioid epidemic in the bipartisan spending agreement that was signed by President Trump on Friday.

“One of my top priorities for Wisconsin right now is increasing the federal investment to help fight the opioid crisis and the 2018 spending agreement is an important step forward in providing new resources to help communities like La Crosse County get the tools they need to save lives,” said Senator Baldwin. “My work is not done taking on this public health crisis and I will continue working to expand and extend funding for the opioid epidemic and do more to address growing methamphetamine abuse in our state.”

Senator Baldwin spoke with La Crosse County Chief Medical Examiner Tim Candahl, La Crosse Police Chief Ron Tischer, Human Services Director Jason Witt, La Crosse County Health Director Jen Rombalski, Health Educator Al Bliss and Director of the St. Clare Health Mission Sandy Brekke about how the opioid epidemic and other illicit drugs like methamphetamine have impacted the community.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Baldwin has been pushing for expanded resources to help states and tribal communities better fight the increasing opioid and illicit drug abuse epidemic that continues to surge across the state.

The government funding agreement included key provisions led by Senator Baldwin, including an additional $1 billion investment for the State Targeted Opioid Response (STR) Grant at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for Fiscal Year 2018. It also has more resources for tribal communities and for states that have been especially hard hit by the epidemic with high opioid mortality rates.