Today Congressman Rob Portman spoke on the Senate Floor to provide some insight how Ohio has been fighting the Opioid Epidemic. There was an overwhelming progressive tone as he stressed the need to go forward and continue to build on the strides that have been made. He acknowledged how Ohio leads the country in reducing overdose deaths, which were down 22% in 2018. Senator Portman attributed this to bipartisan legislation which has allocated $4 billion of federal funding to innovative projects back home.

For example, the Rapid Response Emergency Addiction and Crisis Team (RREACT) in Columbus, OH received grant monies from the CARA Act, and has begun to have a positive impact the community. First responders noticed that they would often have to administer naloxone, the OD reversal drug, to the same user time and time again, with little to no follow-up. Herein lies the conception of the RREACT team, a group of law enforcement, EMS, social workers and treatment providers who visit the home of someone who has just overdosed. They implore the substance user to get into treatment while they are in this vulnerable state, and surprisingly have an 80% success rate.

This testimony provides an excellent example of how the Apportis Opioid Solution (AOS) can be used to fight the crisis in our state. At the suggestion of Dr. Justin Trevino, Medical Director of Ohio Mental Health & Addiction Services, AOS will be utilized in smaller communities who do not have the resources for these rapid response teams. As Senator Portman suggested, Apportis will continue to work to “close the gaps” in the Opioid Crisis in Ohio!

Here’s a link to the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=477&v=MMuUANXVLIA