Claremont, NH – On September 3, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) held a roundtable discussion with local stakeholders and experts about the heroin epidemic that is spreading across Sullivan County and the Granite State. The roundtable brought together participants to share best practices and to discuss how to best combat the growing opioid epidemic.

“Claremont and communities across New Hampshire are being affected by heroin use at an increasingly alarming rate,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “Conversations like today’s about the effect that this epidemic has had on our communities are challenging, but they are critical if we are to successfully combat the heroin epidemic and the broader opioid misuse, abuse, and addiction that have spread throughout communities in Sullivan County and beyond. We are faced with a the formidable task of looking deeper in hopes of recognizing what is behind the growing opioid epidemic here in New Hampshire and figuring out how we can stop it. I was proud to host today’s roundtable discussion at Valley Regional Hospital, which brought together key stakeholders and community members so that together we can better understand what needs to be done to stem heroin addiction in our communities.”

Congresswoman Kuster was joined at the roundtable by a number of local advocates, medical providers, and leaders from Valley Regional Hospital and Sullivan County Department of Corrections, among others. Kuster has prioritized efforts to address the opioid crisis by convening events on the substance use disorders across the state and by prioritizing the issue at a federal level through her work in Congress. Kuster cosponsored the Mental Health First Act, which provides federal funding for training programs around the country that teach emergency services personnel, police officers, teachers, and primary care professionals how to recognize, treat, and address symptoms of mental illness and substance use disorders.

Kuster is also a cosponsor of the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which makes broad reforms in the way we treat addiction by creating alternatives to incarceration and providing states with additional resources to combat abuse. Additionally, Kuster is a supporter of legislation that would help treat substance dependence in newborns and allow Medicare to cover substance abuse treatments at community treatment facilities. 

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