Press Release

Rockville, MD (February 21, 2018) – The Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose (CSOO) is thrilled to announce The Kennedy Forum as the newest member of the coalition. Founded by the Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy, The Kennedy Forum seeks to set a new standard for the future of health care in the United States which unites the health care system and rallies the mental health community around the following set of core strategies:

• Fully implement federal parity law;

• Bring business leaders and government agencies together to eliminate stigma;

• Work with providers to guarantee equal access to care;

• Ensure that policymakers have the tools they need to craft better policy; and

• Give consumers a way to understand their health care rights.

“We are ecstatic to have The Kennedy Forum join the Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose,” said Dr. Corey Waller, Chair of the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s (ASAM) Legislative Advocacy Committee. “Congressman Kennedy and The Kennedy Forum have been a leading voice in increasing public awareness of addiction as a chronic disease and advocating for policies to combat the opioid and addiction epidemic. We look forward to working with them to develop and implement solutions that will reduce overdose deaths and increase access to nationally-recognized, research-validated, and evidence-based addiction treatment.”

About the Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose

The Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose is a coalition of local, regional and national groups that are committed to advancing meaningful legislative and regulatory policies in response to the opioid epidemic. The Coalition seeks to address the U.S. opioid epidemic by engaging policy makers, public health leaders, chronic pain and addiction specialists, individuals in and seeking recovery and family members, so that legislation and policies get the support and funding needed.