Earlier this week as an interested constituent I had the opportunity to attend a town hall meeting hosted by PA State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie at the Township Community Center. It was well ran and very informative. Ryan runs a productive town hall. Not at one point did it get political, which was refreshing. It was 100% issues oriented.
A wide range of topics were covered, but there was one that really stuck out for me. We all know (sadly, far too many of us first hand) the issues surrounding our nations Opioid epidemic. I have personally always held the belief that any solution starts at home in local communities. That there is no silver bullet. Certainly, not a Government silver bullet.
I still strongly believe that, BUT it was eye opening to hear Ryan talk about some legislation he’s working on to help address ongoing related issues.
If this is of a concern you to, please take a some time to read the article below. In it reporters investigated the financial relationships between a workers comp law firm, physicians, and a pharmacy where injured workers were sent to fill prescriptions. Yes, it’s a longer read but it thoroughly exposes the connection between crooked Lawyers, Doctors and Pharmacies.
It’s one of the most powerful pieces of investigative Journalism I’ve read. You will be completely shocked at what’s going on in our state.
To address the opioid issue in this state one key strategy is to look closely at the current workers compensation system. Pennsylvania has the third highest average amount of opioids received by injured workers. We are 78 percent higher than the median state. This is completely unacceptable. And in too many cases there are nefarious forces behind that concerning statistic.
Here are two really in depth articles on this issue.
‘Talk about an unholy alliance’: Lawyers, doctors and pharmacies.
Battle over workers’ comp-opioid bill in Pennsylvania Legislature.