Joco Today

On April 20, 2023, Representative Sharice Davids joined local health care professionals, first responders, and law enforcement officials for her second summit regarding the growing threat of fentanyl, the number one cause of overdose death in the United States. The group discussed the challenges health care workers face when caring for fentanyl-related overdose patients and how Davids can better support their work in Congress. Davids’ first summit convened local, state, and federal law enforcement officials to discuss long-term solutions.

“In our state and around the country, the fentanyl crisis has become a public health emergency, and Kansas law enforcement and health care workers are fighting this epidemic on the front lines,” said Davids. “Like my summit with law enforcement last year, I am committed to working with the health care professionals I met with today to fight this crisis head-on, because one death is one too many. I appreciated today’s eye-opening conversation and look forward to speaking with more Kansans in the future so we can save lives in Kansas and beyond.”

“As we seek to improve the health of our communities through our healing mission, tackling behavioral health and drug misuse through partnerships in the community will save lives,” said Michael Knecht, President, AdventHealth Shawnee Mission. “Thank you to Representative Davids for the robust discussion today.”

“Substance use treatment providers at Johnson County Mental Health Center and across Kansas continue to see alarming rates of opioid and fentanyl use in our communities,” said Kevin Kufeldt, Director of Addiction and Residential Services, Johnson County Mental Health Center. “Even more concerning are recent reports of fentanyl being mixed with xylazine, an animal tranquilizer not approved for human use that increases the potency of illicitly-manufactured fentanyl pills and demonstrates resistance to life-saving measures like Narcan.”

Summit attendees included representatives from AdventHealth, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Johnson County Mental Health Center, Johnson County MED-ACT, and Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas.

Last year, Davids met with Libby Davis, a Johnson County resident, whose son passed away after taking a counterfeit pill that was unknowingly laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine and is increasingly found in fake prescription pills such as Vicodin, OxyContin, or hydrocodone. Following their meeting, Davids co-sponsored and helped pass legislation through the House that creates a public awareness campaign about synthetic opioids through the Department of Health and Human Services.

Davids, a member of the bipartisan Fentanyl Prevention Caucus, has been a vocal advocate around fentanyl and opioid death prevention and has taken a number of legislative actions based on the specific needs of the Kansas Third District, including:

• Hosting a Facebook Live conversation with Blue Valley School District and Johnson County Mental Health Center about opioid use in schools.
• Joining a bipartisan group of lawmakers to request funding for new handheld mass spectrometry trace level chemical detection devices at domestic ports.
• Urging the FDA to take up expert recommendations and make Narcan, a common naloxone nasal spray, available without a prescription—which they did earlier this year.

Community members looking to learn more about how to keep their families safe can visit FirstCallKC, a local organization working to reduce the impact of alcohol, drugs, and addiction in the Kansas City area. Resources and prevention services for individuals, families, schools, and others are available on their website.

Original source can be found here.