PORTLAND, OR (April 22, 2015) – Dr. Marv Seppala, of Wilsonville, Ore. is the Chief Medical Officer of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation headquarter in Center City, MN. He will testify tomorrow (April 23) at a Congressional hearing entitled “Combatting the Opioid Abuse Epidemic: Professional and Academic Perspectives.”
The rising use of prescription pain medications and heroin (collectively classified as “opioids”) has reached epidemic proportions in this country, now killing more people than car accidents. State and federal policymakers everywhere are wrestling with potential solutions, and even among “solution providers” there is vigorous debate about the most effective response.
Oregon now leads the nation in the abuse of painkillers.
Between 2000 and 2012, more than 4,000 Oregonians died from drug abuse.
Oregon’s death rate from opioid overdose quadrupled.
Oregon’s death rate from heroin overdose tripled.
In 2012, almost 1,500 Oregonians were hospitalized due to drug abuse. Of those, nearly a third were due to prescribed opioids.
Dr. Seppala will be describing A unique treatment protocol for this population – one which bridges the divide in the addiction treatment community between those who advocate for the use of no medications and those who advocate for wide use of medications with limited therapeutic support.
The Committee website has information on the time and location (10:15 am EST at the 2322 Rayburn Congressional Building). Dr. Seppala’s written testimony is also on the site, which can be accessed at http://docs.house.gov/meetings/Seppala. The hearing will be webcasted live at that link once the hearing starts, and then archived later on the same site a few hours after the hearing.
Dr. Seppala is available for interviews before or after the hearing.
Dr. Joe Lee, the medical director of The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s youth continuum, will testify next week -- April 29 – at a Senate Addiction Forum hearing that key stakeholders and policymakers will be convening to help guide consensus and discuss best practices on addiction and youth. For more information, visit addictionpolicy.org.
On June 10, our Hazelden Betty Ford Foundaiton will be hosting a Capitol Hill symposium on “preventing opioid deaths among young people.” At the event, we’ll be releasing results of a new nationwide survey on opioid use specifically among college-age youth.
About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation helps people reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction. It is the nation’s largest nonprofit treatment provider with a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center. With 16 sites in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Colorado and Texas, the Foundation offers prevention and recovery solutions nationwide and across the entire continuum of care for youth and adults. It includes the largest recovery publishing house in the country, a fully-accredited graduate school of addiction studies, an addiction research center, an education arm for medical professionals and a unique children’s program. It also is the nation’s leader in advocacy and policy for treatment and recovery. Learn more at www.hazeldenbettyford.org.
Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in the Pacific Northwest
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s Springbrook (located in Newberg, Ore.), and the Beaverton, Ore. facilities combine high quality clinical experience with innovative programs and evidence-based practices to ensure clients get the help they need. Special services include residential and outpatient treatment for health care professionals, pain management, trauma, LGBTQ programming, residential detox, outpatient detox, assessment services, family programs, mental health, recovery management and support.
