VESTAL, NY (WSKG) — On a recent visit to his district, New York Congressman Antonio Delgado met with people affected by opioids. Delgado represents New York’s 19th congressional district.
Among the people he spoke to during his trip were veterans in Delhi who are living with chronic pain.
Delgado said the county is trying to course correct the over prescribing of opioids.
"But I think in trying to course correct we’ve also run into the problem of individuals who need the medication, who need the pain killers, the opioid treatment, whether they're folks struggling from chornic pain or disabilities, they are kind of being squeezed out of the process," Delgado said. "We can’t put them or leave them behind."
Delgado also spoke with medical professionals working to provide addiction recovery treatment. He said this is a medical issue.
"The more we can get away from using incarceration as a form of treatment and the sooner we can get to treating this as a health issue that requires treatment, I think the better off we will be."
In the spring, Delgado introduced a bill that would end redundancy in federal law that restricts providers from prescribing buprenorphine, an alternative to methadone used to treat addiction.