S7668 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 30, 2013 NATIONAL MEDICINE ABUSE support. This bill fixes a catch-22 in tober 9 Azerbaijanis overwhelmingly AWARENESS MONTH current law that puts veterans who reelected President Aliyev to a third Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, as have recently returned from overseas five year term in only their fifth Presi- Chairman of the Senate Caucus on at financial risk if they experience a dential election since Azerbaijan International Narcotics Control, I rise medical emergency. gained its independence in 1991. I, along with several of my col- in strong support of efforts being made Under current law, a veteran enrolled leagues, met privately with President across the country to reduce prescrip- in the VA system who receives emer- Aliyev in Baku several months ago to tion drug abuse as part of National gency care at a non-VA facility can be discuss the great challenges facing Medicine Abuse Awareness Month. In reimbursed for those costs only if the Azerbaijan, the United States, and our California, and throughout the coun- veteran had also received care at a VA facility in the preceding 24 months. allies in the region. try, the misuse and abuse of prescrip- I took this opportunity to personally tion and over the counter drugs is a The intent of this requirement is to en- courage veterans to seek preventative thank President Aliyev, his govern- significant problem. While the con- ment, and the Azerbaijani people for sequences are tragic and profound, care, which decreases the need for more expensive emergency care. The prob- their unwavering support for the they are also preventable. United States government and its peo- According to the Office of National lem is thousands of veterans have re- cently come home from overseas and ple. Drug Control Policy, prescription drug President Aliyev was among the first abuse is our Nation’s fastest-growing they can’t meet the 24-month require- ment through no fault of their own. few foreign leaders to call President drug problem. The U.S. Substance Bush immediately after the attacks on Abuse and Mental Health Services Ad- These veterans have scheduled their first new patient examination with VA, 9/11 to offer his country’s prayers and ministration’s 2012 National Survey on tangible support at a time of great cri- Drug Use and Health found that over but they have not yet received their examination because of VA waiting sis in our Nation. the past decade, the non-medical use of The United States and Azerbaijan times. prescription drugs among persons 12 share many common strategic inter- In other words, they haven’t received years or older rose from 1.9 million in ests. Azerbaijan plays a vital role in ef- their first VA appointment because of 2002 to 11.1 million in 2011. The 2012 Na- forts ranging from counter-terrorism, VA waiting times, but if they need to tional Survey on Drug Use and Health energy security, to the transit of U.S. go to a non-VA hospital for a medical estimates that the abuse of prescrip- and NATO supplies to and from Af- emergency VA cannot reimburse them tion medications such as pain killers, ghanistan. tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives because they haven’t received their As an important partner in the re- is second only to marijuana, the No. 1 first VA appointment. gion, Azerbaijan is an active partici- VA estimates 144,000 veterans are abused drug in the United States. The pant in NATO’s Partnership for Peace caught in this catch–22. With the war Centers for Disease Control have classi- program and was among the first na- in Afghanistan ending, even more vet- fied prescription drug abuse as an epi- tions to militarily support American erans will be affected. This is why vet- demic. led efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. eran service organizations such as the To combat the epidemic of prescrip- Azerbaijan’s stability and prosperity lraq and Afghanistan Veterans of tion drug and over the counter medi- in the South Caucasus, along with its America are supporting this measure. cine abuse, many community anti-drug continued commitment to democratic This bill gives VA the flexibility to coalitions are working to raise aware- reforms, will serve as an important reimburse veterans who have not yet ness about the negative consequences beacon of hope in a complex region. received their new patient examination associated with the misuse of these f if the veterans have to go to a non-VA drugs. hospital for a medical emergency. For NATIONAL LIBERTY MEMORIAL The North Coastal Prevention Coali- Hawaii veterans in rural Oahu or the Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I wish tion in California is just one example neighbor islands who live far from VA to speak today about an effort long of a coalition pushing back against this facilities, emergency care outside the championed by my predecessors in the problem. Together with San Diego VA may be their only option. Just last Senate, Senators Dodd and Lieberman, County’s Prescription Drug Task week I met a veteran from Waianae and to express my commitment to Force, the Coalition has worked to cre- who had a medical emergency while carry on their work. That important ate county-wide Pain Prescribing waiting 4 months for his first appoint- project, the National Liberty Memo- Guidelines. They have helped facilitate ment at VA. Veterans such as he who rial, will commemorate the patriotism National Take Back Days during which were denied VA reimbursement would of African American soldiers during individuals are able to turn over un- get much needed relief under this legis- the . used prescription drugs. They also de- lation. From the very first days of the veloped and disseminated a brochure In its FY2014 budget request, VA American Revolution, African Ameri- on ‘‘Safe Pain Prescribing’’ to emer- asked for the statutory authority pro- cans took part in the effort to establish gency room physicians. vided by this legislation. The VA has a new nation and secure liberty’s bless- I would like to acknowledge the crit- already budgeted for this new author- ings. They did this despite the fact ical efforts of the North Coastal Pre- ity in its FY2014 budget request, and that the vast majority of their broth- vention Coalition and other anti-drug the funding provided in H.R. 2216, as re- ers and sisters remained slaves. coalitions throughout the country in ported by the Senate Appropriations Many of these African American pa- raising awareness about and combating Committee on June 27, 2013, is suffi- triots were from . In 1976, the misuse of prescription medications. cient to cover any additional costs VA the town of Milford established a me- By designating October 2013 as Na- will incur using this new authority. morial to six black soldiers of the Rev- tional Medicine Abuse Awareness I urge my colleagues to cosponsor olutionary War. Nero Hawley, a slave Month, Americans are able to reaffirm this commonsense legislation. We owe who joined the and our national, state and local level com- it to our brave men and women in uni- served at , was later freed mitment to living healthy, drug-free form who put their lives on the line for after the war. You can visit his grave lives. our country that the VA has the tools today at Riverside Cemetery in Trum- f it needs to better serve new veterans bull. Jupiter Mars lived an extraor- accessing the care they have earned. dinary life, serving in the Continental VA EMERGENCY CARE f Army during the war. He now rests in Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, on Mon- peace in beautiful Norfolk, CT. Cato day I introduced a bill, S. 1588, with CONGRATULATING AZERBAIJAN Meed enlisted in the Continental Army Senators MORAN, ISAKSON, and BEGICH Mr. BURR. Mr President, today I in Norwich in 1777, and served at Val- to provide an emergency safety net to wish to congratulate and offer my sup- ley Forge with General Washington. roughly 144,000 veterans waiting for VA port and encouragement to the people These soldiers fought in every battle care. I thank my colleagues for their and government of Azerbaijan. On Oc- of the Revolutionary War, from the

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