Ready for Congress here in my area and put County and appreciate her pulling this together and I know she introduces Fantastic thank you so much. Uh thanks so much cafe, Commissioner, gaylord. I really appreciate everyone coming today and I'm really stunned and honored by the level of participants on this panel today, um there's nothing that should unite minnesotans more than the battle to that of your news in this country and um it is stunning when you look at the numbers and then just share the 26 people in the County uh lost their lives two of your news, up over half of Americans now have some sort of friend or family member who's impacted. Um buy or opioid abuse in this country and my own family has been impacted as well. My son, josh she's 21 years old and his brother suffered from mental health issues and, ultimately died 70 Good news and So this is an issue that I promised my son, josh, that I will bring to the forefront at every opportunity as a member um that's when we think about just this year numbers now over 58000 lives have been lost. That's more than God to be a novel What do you think about that and still stunning and so um I wanted to bring this panel together was very important for me to do that. Um and it was such an honor to have congressman Joe Kennedy, the third agreed to conduct a Santa with me today because no one in this Congress, he has been more on the forefront of mental health issues um. They combating this epidemic in our country, so that job turn it over to you Uh hard here uh with everybody. Thank you very much to having a thanks for uh that's more discussion, just speak briefly on the kick off Back the open that About his race age, ethnicity region and Democrats. This problem, food in your system The question I think, for our nation answer the Congress has it is our we're. Gonna step up and will be answer, but I thought it would be a more responsibility to address the root causes and the consequences of And the fact the matter is that Congress just did not something's obligation herbal. Yes, we can point to several pieces of legislation that Congress to pass yes we're, gonna want a package of the president's design in the Wall. That's fine. That's good. I'm not gonna argue against that, but It's important to put that package in contest. We pass that package at a time when The trump administration and Congress continue to try to actively undermined affordable carat remember that the pieces of legislation that varies attach your world care act also cut Medicare and most of educator the tune of 900 million dollars. Medicare is the largest pair of mental behavioral health services of the country's largest pet protection services so you cannot tell me you're gonna strengthen the integrity of our treatment system and then cut the largest payer for the treatment that trump button continue at the man cave into a truly announce the currently financial goals and I feel you know one There's, an awesome join by 20 state, attorneys general across country to try to undermine the affordable care that lawsuit on there are 24 Republican attorneys down as we that are trying to you're trying to get around the consumer protections put in the affordable care. Many of those of our loan pre-existing traditional and those pre-existing conditions you know that open the third, it is the proposed rule and the administration spoke of the President spoke about to try to make it easy for uh within certain States, for States that uh stand up commercial insurance products but again get around Protect and put it in care, those consumer protections include once again uh. This is well done and Internet package is mental health. Once again, access to addiction so while you can see Republicans across this country to talk about how they're standing up for patients and conditions it's important to also understand what that the presence budget National lost and commercial programs supported by this administration designed by this mystery, all The underline access to mental health treatment, action to addiction services in this country, so, for anybody that is, after the tries to say that they support increasing access to education services. They should be standing out loudly and clearly and rejecting and calling on Congress uh in front of any presents stop those I would hope that Anybody running across so Thank you so much stroke um so I just wanna start. Maybe by um having each of our panel is introduce themselves and talk a little bit about why you do the work that you do. um Get the conversation started. Let's see. Thank you. Thank you for hosting us and, having you here to joining you today. I'm just a pleasure to be with all of you, um so my name is lexie Reed hold on. I am the executive director of the steer on my hope network. I'm also a woman in long-term recovery from the disease of addictions of your life and um We started this remote network in two thousand 11 and we started the network if the namesake of the network was my fiance, Steve wrangler, who was one of the thousands and thousands of 10 thousands of Americans who was prescribed opioids to treat is chronic pain. Um and, as we know, this um was a non scientific Attempt by opioid pharma to really profit off of the lives of millions of Americans and so um over the last when we started this year on our hope network in two thousand 11. There were 15000 opioid overdose dustin here and the preliminary numbers for 20 17 at the estimate is 48600 and 12 so we're going entirely in the wrong direction. We do three things Interesting read my hope network one because we have huge boots on the ground program overdose prevention, where we train and distributed the answer adults to pretty much everybody hospitals and law enforcement treatment facilities lay people in colleges and churches, schools that everybody needs. It um. We do all we can see on the state and federal levels support our tribes and we educate people and then we underwrite And seeing these for prescribe are doctors and um, as we know, there's, a huge gaps and all those service areas and we're working really hard um with our elected officials to make sure that we have a continuum of care that starts with prevention and does not and with treatment for those on the silver living and includes family members and everybody else in And more know you have a very personal story. I personally thank you for being here today. You feel your soon thanks angie um yeah. My name is marcus Williams and I'm President of the Union, um I've been living here and even for uh almost six years about five and a half years ago, um after show we have uh, we got here uh A police car show to my House uh. Let me know that my son had been found. Unresponsive and living space, um. They suspected it was uh a And a leader toxicology confirmed that it was an opioid overdose idea and no why would actually go back to the day so reason. I'm here to talk about the fact that these things have kind of people are actually dying is result of that decision Is a hyper availability of these drugs is what's cause. This uh. This crisis will occur. My son at that time. I didn't know it was not opioid crisis and just just watched. My son. It was a 30 year old man that died. He live the rest of your life and You know it was a problem that my wife and I struggled with keeping in treatment programs And try to get them sold or and you know what is actually at the time where we've had some hope that things were going better for the in started going to the church and we were thank you, thanks for gonna book up and of course, um. He became a statistic and an at the time we didn't know that there was no priority crisis going on in America and I stand for the wild long The numbers that I've heard today to 40000 people last year, more than 40000 people last year died. A hundred and 15 people tight officer just disappearing. They're just going to wait um People are uh being left behind uh as a result of this bad decision Here we thank you so much for being here today to introduce yourself, um my name is carrie crane. I'm program director at the treatment Center And we are, I hope you training program located in burnsville Company that I work for the We have four Phoenix and so Casino treatment programs And I do the work I do Every type of treatment works. I've been the deal for 15 years. I have worked in every single Um and I've been you'll be at Program for about This is uh The group of people who get screened out of the places and give a little particularly have not ever before. I could given options Before I ask krista introduce himself, um, let me just tell you that alot of my view from a public policy point of view is informed from the friendship and work that I've done with doctor Chris Johnson over the last couple of years There are many ways to talk about this issue and unfortunately, in public policy, we often only talk about the treatment and um and it's a critical part of a what carrie and her team were doing. This treatment but I also know that the United States is only one of a couple of countries in the world that has this kind of addiction issues to opioids and I think our public officials have to start asking the question of if we're only gonna treat addicts, how do we stop Creating new addicts in this country, people addicted to opioids and doctor Johnson, is a very Progressive things wrong. As we've got to start the beginning, prescribing patterns by physicians. We have to start at the beginning. Prescription drug companies and the lacs marketing laws. We have in the United States because if we don't quit creating attics we're, never going to be able to have this issue effectively so Chris thank you so much for being here. Thank you very much. Thank you for having me um as a brief introduction or Here um I'm Chris Johnson emergency physician and um I've began work on this problem. When I was still doing full time emergency medicine, methodist hospital in st., Louis Park and uh. I, my involvement with back to two thousand four over well before this course, views because I couldn't go to shift without seeing the patient come in sometimes overdose but sometimes and eight paintings masturbation on 60 milligrams, big oxycontin with a lot of the break group um And I remember being taught as a resident that these medicines were safe and effective for chronic pain. His people and lives back. We were buttons with a Red lines and no pain is a normal and that began my investigation and um you know I recently. I began my investigation of how this happened looking for away to make my shopping in there, like how I managed these patients, but as it turns out, um the more I read about how this happened the more I realize that my profession to this may No mistake about this that we're all sitting here talking about this today is the medical industry failed. you And the failures go back um again, 20 years and what is driving my research and advocacy in this issue is There's, they're people around the other world in Japan, Germany, Britain with back pain and arthritis, but they didn't experience in opioid crisis You know they've had some updates, but no, no one increase 400 percent of prescribing has a four percent increase in overdose deaths. So what what makes it about the United States that makes us vulnerable to this You can't avoid the fact that um visit corporate driven system and I'm not just talking about the pharmaceutical and device industry, I'm talking about. They had willing competitors who found their message. Particular feeling in the medical industry itself from physicians. They couldn't have done it without us um and so when I talk about happy to see him fixing this problem and I'm also looking for is actually change in the medical industry. How could you do this to the population use one vote to protect by Treatment you did not investigate scientifically. You had case studies and expert opinion who were paid by pharma and just went with it and work with the rest of us. So beyond the treatment we have to look at that. The distortions in our in our economic incentives and healthcare that led to this crisis perpetuated. This crisis and say we have to change that to because you can't understand the opioid crisis to understanding America, healthcare so that is what drives man today Okay, let me come back to the Congress monthly live hope to serve as a colleague with an January 20 19 You know this. This is an issue that to Democrats, both talked about a lot of light and there some bills that has been a bipartisan basis but you know what your sense of a lot of had made more progress on addressing your new scam. additional So that's it that's the question that there is much I think it's probably one uh There is committed to the Democratic called to try to solve it and without question. There are Call is my set tables, like this one Or just hurt and are committed to addressing the way that they would go about addressing it is very different. inserts My God second ago and I don't think you can say you're gonna dresses and then controlling dollars from the entity that actually beads for the vast majority of the picture. so So far this is the framing about the role of the federal government and healthcare. Uh the heart of this. I think it kids uh having an honest conversation about what can be done with the people, companies and not just what about advertising but with regards to and some of the safeguards are put around Dangerous medications, like this uh, I think there needs to be a discussion around Dr start looking pain as the fifth vital sign and what that the impact that pain obviously subjective. Iraq. That led to um. We have the tools to actually addressed and and for folks that are living with chronic pain. We have the ability to make sure that people are looking what's the big deal, but we working on the You can be very careful to do was not honest with their marketing. Uh and that um and uh And the last kind of big piece this is um. We have to having real, honest conversation about the business so the three largest mental health treatment facility, three things are the jails in New York Chicago Boston. We need cars ratings and how I came to this uh issue was actually was a prosecutor and uh outside of Boston massachusetts and now about letting do it for all the times Incorporating people and trying cases and over and over and over again, it was okay what I was uh some more covered that we're bringing the cars are owns trying to 68 45 times. A day which turn on the news anymore grab the box and it was three point dollars back and so they're breaking the cardinal homes to try it, not go through an extraordinary thing will draw as if it It's our systems and lock them up and so we criminalize addiction criminalize, belongs and we don't need to There are ways that we can address the traffic speed adjust our healthcare system and look at this one has a public health emergency and Um to get your glasses the treatment of pain, uh so if there's a lot of the pieces to this, but I do think there would not be any better talk to us and to That you tell me that cutting a truly believe that how to solve this problem And no Republican justify to me why Power clean, affordable care act or Central health benefits for uh passes to addiction treatment somehow does that do you think that the pharmaceutical industry auto palen. This yeah so okay people around with no perdue uh it's like it was found guilty for Paid weekly 60 700 million dollar, fine African descent about which was less than rrp one quarter of their profits for the year and and that would um so yes, this is a problem that uh this was. I think, with large a mother can you tell you this is included. Government regulation fill yeah. It was long as every government fail up and down but the idea that account Like for new And proper defence of this, um, I think they they certainly bear much greater responsibility and dressing II also struggle with the irony of the fact that, for you, it has market and truck use for Addiction treatment for folks, opioid addiction You got that one and make preview our that you donate it Some of education for nail We have a very strong base state of so that I haven't believe we should also have a 50 company Philip federal level in the Middle uh. Probably should help Today, but we also have to look at um and many other factors let's get back to treatment for a minute. Let's see, I know you're Organization is really been focus on February sixth, thanks treatment. Um maybe we can have um lexi top of little bit about what your Organization assigning and carry children that Oh well actually I might referred to Dr Johnson, who is on our board of directors, but I think the stands that we've taken and I'm really a big deal. hi Yes, he's on our medical advisory Committee and our board of directors so we're really fortunate to have um some of the most brilliant minds working to help us create solutions for everybody across community across this country. Um but what we believe is that um Is that every individual is entitled and deserves the respect that you will be treated with every other disease. Any other disease that you have you do not go to the hospital almost dead or in danger of dying and get kicked out every other disease. There is a plant there is a standard of care. There is the so for example, I talk to a mother this morning was child um has been through treatment and um has you know relapse Which, again the disease process for every disease is the potential of a re occurrence so this disease is like no other um and that it happens. Um and so her child was taken and there was a level of okay you're, not going to die right now. Thank you for coming goodbye so that that can no longer continue to happen as we strengthen prescription monitoring programs across this country as we create standards of practice for medical prescribed to tighten the reins turn off the taps. We can take prescribed in the way we have for the last two decades but, as we You that we also have to create the system of care that offer solutions because otherwise we are now at this point intentionally Causing people to have no other choice but to see criminal behavior, because if you're that sick, which you are and you can't get, help, then you're going to have to find a way who um mitigate that withdraw so we believe at this year on their home network, that every individual is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect and then the opportunity to recover and whatever method is established by them and their prescribe, are so that means medication assisted treatment that means abstinence paste, whatever it is that works for you as an individual You have the right to have um and then um another thought on that, but it has left my brain so I will just have to sit back over that way. He returned to tell us about dakota County and what we're doing here um I represent a lot of us a okay So we're I wanna harm reduction program so we just found snap it up Methadone has been long established that is basically the gold standard And our programs are harm reduction, which means, if someone continues to use, they don't get kicked out And I've worked in long-term residential short term residential location Um laughs relapse recovery it in such a fluid process that That's one thing that we can do to Is work with our patients uh. However long it takes Whatever resources are needed Then arrest there old friend and there's also other chemicals involved there are primary issue is the rest of your only addiction and once that happens and we absolutely The patients see It's okay It's not a failure it's just awesome And that is that really Is Even the beers, how many people that charge from programs For this disease is so complex. People are so complex and you know how the generations of Whatever it is, they need Chris evans, nice, where are you today. Well, uh the evidence for addiction treatment is that with minute medical assistant therapy of methadone, of pain. You cut the annual mortality from 150 to 100 so you could have that still like four to five times higher. If you never develop the problem at all because it has all been following but no like it's not just the over doses, if you earn at both pages, disorder there's danger Behaviors that are happening and you're involved in this whole social media value of unhealthy, dangerous behavior so it is very important that those who, with active will be use disorder, medical assistant therapy, is actually evidence based. That will reduce our um. But work again by far never getting in that situation the first place is is the answer um and that is what sort of we're focusing on the management services I'm sure they will be prescribing work for the Minnesota hs um and where, for the first time we're looking at prescribing patterns of physicians um For the longest time As long as I've been practicing the only thing that I got measured on quarter by quarter, how many that I see how much that I build, that I gotta complaint, know how efficiently die generate ready for my clinic has been the only clinical parameter pushing That is to be expected, an entirely private revenue driven system but there's, a problem with the private revenue driven system It doesn't actually want healthy patients because healthy patients don't need to buy healthcare It is driven to sell you healthcare services and having people and voted for chronic pain fit that model pretty well And so you have this internal storage, an incentive structure in medicine that wants to sell you services as long as possible in front of the market. But that doesn't turn out long term healthy vacations and so what we need to do in medicine in general is reward outcomes early stuff for morning, just sales and services um uh And that is gonna make hopefully have benefits for patients, not just with words but with everything else. Uh as well as some print costume so medical assistant therapy, but avoiding upfront the attention prescribing patterns so there any other big things that you think will help reduce the No look scores yeah yum and here's when I'm skeptical of education programs for physicians Apparently had a prescribed responsibly in the eighty what the sudden for God Where, instead of ice to make the customer happy Because what is more important is is not your long-term health of the patients, but your long-term business so if they want their pants first come down with the pain scores come down No, as long as there's no accountability which there hasn't been an He needs this pine describe when I see the programs that are offering that you know, let's get it opioid build with a fun medical system, therapy okay great okay, but all that is doing is inviting taxpayers to use their own taxpayer money to buy more healthcare services. That was caused by an industry driven to sell healthcare services That's not a great incentive to change um we need to. We need to really work in the industry that isn't that is geared towards the patients. Here towards the industry Karen, what are we doing to help families supports So what do you do Um do what we can to engage Members to participate in All of their treatment program at any level that So if they want I'm not a dual diagnosis program Yes, we're building What do you have here at the corner from top secret from Top secret project actually it's. This education for family members to understand what they should be looking for in there. This is a happy neighbors and their children it's highly dogs. So that they know how to look for them and get them out of it. You know how to bring it out of the system so we go out and um it's education Develop with um here's, a little for Try to better educate here You have to think that I wanted at all There's in my prescribing patterns down Disease production products right now brand everyone, this well remarkable uh To addiction were all will be depending on your bundle in your reward system depends on your own, more feeling. The endorphins every single minute of every single day for just feeling. So everyone is open to um but you look at the patterns in the country like where the population is most vulnerable and it's one of the Most Mobile populations are like or opportunity, or education what would what would cause an otherwise healthy mind. Field tournament and what they do escape. That so the answer is also not just a picture but it's like social services, like Wrinkled kinda help us community So they feel some purpose and finish What about your Organization on the education side Um well express we're gonna have to have the topic come out at the board meeting now okay Um, I am So we do feel really strongly about education. Many people have got to be knowledgeable as you were saying, as your sharing your story and I'm so sorry for your loss. Um it's really heartbreaking You don't know what you don't know until you know. It. Nobody wants to be part of our club. Nobody wants to be in this with us and I often you know so. I've lost even 20 11 and we were engaged to be married and rather than planning our wedding. I ended up planning his funeral. My daughter was eight at the time. She's now 15 um, a couple of years ago. She had her tonsils removed while we were in having her tonsils where we were assessing whether that was the right thing, you are not the My daughter got visibly anxious and the having put his hand to her children that don't worry I'm gonna give you pain pills. You are going to not have pain and immediately. My daughter, snapped out. They giving her life is she helps right paws she's. You know in this right And it just became so acutely aware of the fact that if we do not do a better job educating lay people empowering people to actually stand up as Dr Johnson has said, the system is so in son device to have doctors um make revenue that if we don't um enable individual citizens lay people have a strong voice to say that their doctor like my daughter, did at 13 will no thank you. I think we're gonna have to find a different doctor right Because she is 50 percent more likely to have the disease of addiction, giving genetically she's previous post right and so in no uncertain terms should that have doctor have been thinking. I'm gonna prescribed opioids to this 13 year old to mitigate the pain of a tonsillectomy right um so we believe that not only do we need to educate prescribes um and as Dr Johnson said it's not like they didn't know before, but something has happened in the culture we've had an entire generation over the last 20 years of doctors in dated with this is the right Solution you have to treat people's pain. You have to treat it. This way. Our country is stop investing in science to um treated differently. I mean there's pockets of it happening. The is looking at you know. I don't know how to acupuncture and complementary and alternative medicine or integrative medicine. There are other solutions um but if we don't educate people, I really firmly believe that it is the people who are gonna understand who they want to elect as their public representative who do you want Congress, if you want somebody who is more interested in um the interest of big pharma or do you want somebody who is more interested in science and your health and public health and safety. um So we have to educate people as well as prescribed or in order to create the solutions and law enforcement and all of them all the way across the board. This is a very complex issue, but I think there's old we're talking about it or have always is incredibly people These are and, if you listen to is there anything that you're pregnant and 100 on as well yeah sure um so I've been active politically active for the rest of, for years, um Part of that activity was trying to uh talk to Jason Lewis are elected. Congressman to the story about this very topic. I've actually been to his office on a number of occasions. Um written letters some Protecting the number reason that was actually promise that I would get to meet with him more a year ago. I was pulled those are less that A lot my concern not heard back from what I've got anything back and that guy than a couple of formula um or all of the concerns that uh. I need to talk to angie and chance idea um that there's, a different start. uh You know, actions have consequences to You know that's why I don't like talking about crying in the seventh because it's important it's important that we don't have a future like the path against Mark knows that one of the most touching stories, I've heard this entire election cycle was on Told me about their son, bryan Um show that story julie telling me that she cosigned his singing along and they still everyone to check to pay off my student loans. everyone It's one of the most heartbreaking stories I've cycle, one yeah that's, a difficult The people that you're dealing with after Ryan died we're We're proud of the work um we have uh. We didn't. We didn't know that um came When it's right off previously and forgot and so our credit was in hammer every week as we found public swing on um and so we just had nothing but difficulties with this company and so after your a year of them hammering our credit. Um you know, finally got that straight so yeah it's just been a difficult Thanks for working to make sure Thumbs that I know you hear the stories of um And this has been your life's work. wellness Maybe one of the things that is uh one of the piece of uh the quality level that I just find somewhere shirt is that we actually We have the ability to ensure that a lot of people That our second get better And so this is not an unsolved problem is a lot of questions. I think you don't know what to do. We know what to do and there's a lot of medical professionals and since I was eighteen and has dedicated number in our community, that are willing to put themselves uh Love the lost of because their chosen choice of professional more beautiful because Keep backing you change and so it's not is not myself problem. This does come down to the question of what, in the world The question public speaking seeing a question of are you at all Are we going to adjust some of the structures in our healthcare system to Something like this doesn't happen again, which is something you can do still one second life innovation with their own Boston from now regulatory framework so that you don't end up um Allowing that something like this to be in this kind of ride. Um you make sure that if it when it is that the mouth is large enough to deter such activity to You just sure that folks are struggling with addiction at And with that you get access to the services that they need, which, looking parts of the country of our heart. But that's a hard thing to do it's hard to accept mental health and addiction services in the world, America target around when the largest pair as for me state and medicaid And I have a lot of professionals won't take any chance. Cuz there's What instrument to sell these are all the So I won't take any sort of insurance that you take insurance will drive insurance hardly anybody will take medicaid and if you can do it, you can do finally provided don't take medicaid offers awaits a months uh. We brought up the question of the pointed in our country with networks have somebody to walk into an emergency room or anywhere else with stage three cancer and we'll see you by doctor diagnose, that come back in four months, that will change. you There's no, my legs and we accept that routine when it comes to the health of from and by not having those services and And that is not just a hold of the holy eight cars and taxis is the system that we've got is the consequence of the lack of investment from the federal state and local level. From Democrats and Republicans, not just uh The question is support and, if you think that the conversation that we're having for my federal policy making uh level is not anywhere near um. This is a process that is necessary. You cannot talk about ask yourself on the back about increasing brand programs rents go away programs, not everyone gets them. Thank you. Pick one community Center health Center treatment Center against another wanna say you can get your face to get yours. Can and then after year Maybe you could you do put your patients don't you just move around that that is not is not a face. uh This is not a question of not knowing what works this is a question about being willing to do what first the consequences that are that Well, I wanna thank everyone and give you a chance to still maybe made 11 minute of fun remarks. This has been an extraordinary conversation and Who we elect is really about what we wanna prioritizing in this country and the University of Congress is about priorities and for me there's no more important priority than making sure that every American has called affordable healthcare in this Joe and I talked before that I love more abortion of my own childhood without access to health insurance has been over 20 years working in healthcare and it will be in the honor to work on. Finally having the guts to stand up and solve these issues, listen So Chris they will start with you, um and again, it is my pleasure to support a candidate like like angie who bring that kind of drive and an understanding expertise to the problems complex, health care about the understanding that you don't just say healthcare is complicated. Can't. Do anything about it The country like these extraordinarily wealthy other countries, fix things it is not impossible. We're, not imagining some scenario is known as ever saw the question is, are you gonna how do you real work incentives to get you. You invest more about patients need so instead of you know, some one comes to emergency currently mental health crisis and you keep them their 72 hours because you don't know where to send them, which is actually causing mental health crisis and a normally healthy person to keep someone in the armed with district raise, but I can get You and your grandma tomorrow there's a heart and vascular Center anywhere because to healthcare provided here is what brings returns on investment, not what is the best protection. We can do better than that and having a kid introducing Plus, say, thank you for reaching out to us at the counter treatment Center and I guess I wouldn't want to just put it into real life numbers. uh The affordable care act is repeal um at our four Minnesota clinics on my clinic, 77 percent more patients. um And in a real number that In our saint Paul eighty percent of our I am on Monday and rochester clinical eighty five percent of our patients are First, finally I mean just think that the impact Pop you know your organ and up We'll And the fucking hardest room and they cost a whole bunch more money and we have them socialize cost, like there's no there's No argument to go back to reward that actually makes us Let's go Um, I remember what I thought was earlier on the Dad said um if you were talking about these are my words insanity of what pharma is doing. He's that worried but I will um with um you know, producing pharma purchasing cut really really being responsible for and causing this crisis. That our country is in and then that now they have purchased in our marketing um solutions and that you know it's a little known fact that um your Johnson and Johnson owns the biggest puppy growing plant out of this country, Johnson and Johnson baby products. You know and I'm right and uh the other pharmaceutical companies have bought the antidote and also bought um anyways. So they're I think um to summarize it for this panel. It is incredibly important that we, as citizens, take a look at who is funding the ads that you're seeing during the news and who's backing that those statements and where is the money coming from and that's pushing candidates to you um because it's really right now and Minnesota every single resident of Minnesota spends uh one thousand 100 dollars a year just in trying to offset the cost um Minnesota Spent six point six billion dollars and the opioid crisis last year alone. um We need elected officials that are Better public health, I can't see how that would have all happened if we don't support ensuring that we have a healthcare system that is doing much, much better than it is right now. So I really appreciate being here. Thank you for including me You know, thanks for asking me to be here to um you know the thing that I guess the point that's most important for me is that looking back over the last couple of years, I've been paying attention to let our elected officials have been doing about I'm watching. What they're putting off for campaign ads and they're saying that you know that they wanna help us with this whole beauty Christmas. They try to take. They this is a preexisting condition of them that they try to take away from us every single champion we've got so they're lying love They're lying about what you're willing to help us with this part of the think is that I live with the consequences of those decisions. My wife on the decision everyday. I don't even remember what it was like before me something I don't remember what it was like to be happy, all the time um and the one thing I do remember it's all my wife's voice when a policeman came to our door to These are the consequences so people, elected positions we don't care about. The people have to recognize Well, I wanna thank all of you, yes, let's make a comment short, uh. I know angie and I know this is political but I mean I believe, very much in whatever you want to say and I want to take on the go. I think lexi and the raffle foundation also I'm here today because of Saturday and one of your people raise anderson came and talked to Red cross nurses, yes and we have meeting Saturday of all the right person owners around the state and he came and talk and he I'm one of the people. He turned I'm one of the people that's here because of that because I think the basic public education is so important and it's I Open my eyes I'm going home back to northfield and I talk to my high school grandchildren and said what did you learn in school about that. My daughter works for a home for more Baker centers and I said and one of those people in the lower vapor Center in northfield guy through and overdose last year, so she's gonna have education for the large Baker staff and we got to remove the stigma and educate everybody and thank you for your support doing it without randy there's a lot of people who wouldn't even heard about it I'm glad to hear that you know and then one of the people I thought of or a task was force with physicians, my husband was the position back in the eighty s when the issue was, if somebody wants an ad biotic, you give them an out of body. You have that type of thing to build up her clientele, which was not one of the things that people learn but I think I'm so happy to see that physicians are thinking about I'll be quiet now, but I'm just not one you That we need to work, hi ideas, a quality of this conversation really very tight that is a quality qualities panel is very, very high and what this is a little. It shouldn't be blue none of this should be vulnerable. It should be about stepping into a problem and working to solve you know when this happens when you get your healthcare doesn't have a deal on our buy. It when your family member is addicted, you don't think about luke Part of you think about how can you bring your community together. Can actually solve these problems and thank you all for me because it would be an honor and a privilege to be able to continue this important part of solving the nation's problems and so to do that with Thomas Uh healthcare to me is about the commitment that we get the computer wanna make How about the temp system that is gonna be there Something that only thinks about when you don't need it, then you need to And so Well, this isn't a political question is more one as a question about, for you, for about one, for your neighbor, for their loved one They are their home of greatest uncertainty, sadness or anything. They're gonna be there system. There see you soon It's there for you, if you can afford it We can do that This is not choice with a choice of So therefore, the more The choice number of levels and