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New Opioid Treatment Bill Would Help Rural Communities

Tom Vilsack knows the life-altering effects of addiction. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary watched his mother battle drugs and alcohol and nearly die.

"She got introduced into this as a result of a surgery she had when I was a young boy," Vilsack says, "and that turned her on to pain medications."

Vilsack's mom spent the next five years in and out of hospitals, attempting suicide, quitting and using again.

"But eventually she found the strength, support and help to begin the process of rebuilding her life," he says, noting the experience taught him a lesson about never giving up on an addicted person.

"I'm reminded of her every day as I listen to the stories of families who are dealing with a loved one struggling with addiction," Vilsack says. "Or those, tragically, who are part of an increasing number of families who've suffered the loss of a loved one."

WNIJ reported on the current opioid epidemic with personal accounts of living with addiction, and losing someone to drugs. Our interview with Vilsack shows how the scale of this problem forced politicians to act.

It also reveals how rural men are at high risk.

"In rural areas, a lot of the work is physical," Vilsack says. "Day in and day out, there are chances where you might be involved in an accident, which leads to the physician's office." There, patients were exposed to the traditional approach to prescribing pain meds. "Because that's what physicians were told to do," Vilsack says. "They were told that these were not addictive."

Statistics prove otherwise. At least two million Americans are addicted to opioids, according to Vilsack, while ten million Americans admit to misusing these drugs. The number of overdose deaths increased 21% from 1999-2010, according to a White House fact sheet.

When the White House releases a fact sheet, you can bet legislation is close behind. Last January, President Obama tapped Vilsack to push for Congressional action. Obama wanted money for prescription monitoring, substance abuse treatment, and other programs for rural areas where addiction counselors are often nonexistent.

Vilsack spent his political career serving rural constituents -- first as Mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, then Iowa Governor, and finally USDA Secretary. He could talk to Heartland lawmakers in a way that others couldn't, and members from both parties signed on to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.

But Vilsack's first attempt fell short of his -- and the President's -- expectations. Democrats wanted an additional $920 million for treatment programs, and blamed Republicans for blocking it. In the end, President Obama signed the Act in July, saying some money was better than none.

Vilsack says lawmakers didn't include enough money to fully implement the law. "There was no real resource that would allow us to expand treatment options," he says. However, Vilsack says a new bill, called 21st Century Cures, makes up for those shortcomings.

The measure passed by a wide margin in the House last week and is now in the Senate. "This bill would provide over a billion dollars of additional assistance," Vilsack says, "and that money would go to expand treatment centers -- particularly in rural areas."

The bill also would strengthen prescription drug monitoring programs, and expand the availability of Naloxone, which can reverse overdoses. "And it would provide an opportunity to make sure we're evaluating these programs," Vilsack says, "so we can continue to fund best practices."

For Vilsack, this bill isn't the end. He hopes the next president, and the next Congress, continue the conversation about addiction -- recognizing that it isn't a character flaw.

"It's a disease, just in the same way we talk about diabetes, cancer and heart disease," Vilsack says. "That makes it a little easier to have folks talk about it, and easier for people to acknowledge they have a problem, and that means we can get help to them more quickly."

Good morning, Early Riser! Since 1997 I've been waking WNIJ listeners with the latest news, weather, and program information with the goal of seamlessly weaving this content into NPR's Morning Edition.
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