An American Tragedy
The image is striking. The President stands at the podium at a convention, fiercely gripping its sides with both hands, as if he is steadying himself on a ship at sea. Speaking to a non-partisan group of mental health, addiction, and law enforcement professional, his tone is uncharacteristically solemn, as he details the sobering facts and figures:
70,000 deaths per year.
Declaration of a nationwide, public-health emergency.
A commitment to spending $6 billion to attempt to save American lives.
The speech ends about a half-hour later with little fanfare.
It won’t be picked apart and endlessly analyzed by the 24-hour news media. There will be no ridicule from The Daily Show or Real Time with Bill Maher. And with the exception of a generically worded Associated Press article, it will barely be covered by the print media.
The 34-minute speech is decidedly un-newsworthy.
Because, in one of the most politically divisive moments in our country’s recent history – a time and place where many think that America is teetering on the edge of ripping itself apart over partisan disagreement, and where media is hyper-focused on the divisive issues that drive ratings and readership – one issue has given rise to an unlikely consensus:
America is in the midst of an Epidemic that has touched everyone, regardless of race, socio-economic status, or political affiliation. And its clear cause is the runaway over-prescription of opioids.
As a result of this crisis, good people are dying and their families ripped apart. The loved ones left behind are often faced with a difficult proposition. How do I seek justice? Physicians, and deservedly so, occupy a special place of admiration and respect in our community. However, physicians who recklessly prescribe their patients with unjustified amounts of opioids need to be held accountable for their actions, and their behaviors need to be stopped. It isn’t just the pharmaceutical companies that have fueled this epidemic- it has been in concert with negligent physicians. Gallagher & Kennedy specializes in these opioid cases. We can help you and your family seek the justice you and your family deserve.