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Winchester, VA -- Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) spent Friday in Winchester visiting Edgehill Recovery Retreat, participating in a ride-along with the Winchester Police Department, and hosting a roundtable with over a dozen community organizations to discuss the opioid epidemic, which has hit the Northern Shenandoah Valley hard. Since 2011, more than 200 individuals in the region lost their lives to an opioid overdose.

At the roundtable on Friday, Congresswoman Wexton led a discussion of over two dozen healthcare professionals, educators, law enforcement, and community members to learn more about the collaborative approach that Winchester has modeled to confront the addiction epidemic.

"I was so impressed by the diverse perspectives brought to the table. I certainly learned a lot, and I look forward to going back to Congress with fresh ideas and a better understanding of how we can help from the federal level," said Congresswoman Wexton of the roundtable discussion.

Congresswoman Wexton has worked on this issue at every step of her career. In the state Senate, Wexton passed legislation to help substance exposed newborns and their mothers access the resources they need, legislation to combat pill mills, and a bill which allowed non-profits to dispense naloxone, the life-saving overdose reversal drug.

In Congress, Wexton has introduced the EFFORT Act to expand research on opioid addiction, which passed the House in July and was recently introduced in the Senate.

A recap of the Congresswoman's roundtable published in The Winchester Star can be found here.

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