Crocker Gives Maiden House Speech

                                                                         State Rep Will Crocker

BOSTON – 2nd Barnstable District State Representative Will Crocker, (R-Centerville) gave his maiden speech last week in the House, it was on Wednesday, July 11. 

Crocker spoke in favor of  An Act for Prevention and Access to Appropriate Care and Treatment of Addiction, which was engrossed by the house in a unanimous vote. 

During the speech Crocker kept his focus on his home district, pointing out that in every city and town in the Commonwealth the death rate has been in decline due to the opioid crisis with the exception of Barnstable and Yarmouth. 

“While I was campaigning in the summer of 2016, walking neighborhoods, I recall, vividly, meeting three separate families in one day alone who were just returning from wakes of people who had suffered fatal overdoses. This epidemic was crystallized for me when I met those families,” Crocker said in the speech.

In addition, Crocker went on to advocate for a focus on prevention programs. 

“Keeping a member of our community from starting on this dark path is much easier than helping guide them off it.” 

The bill, HB 4725, places new mandates on practitioners and pharmacies prescribing opioids and other controlled substances, while taking steps to ensure qualified treatment facilities are available to serve those in need by enhancing the regulatory and licensing authority of the Department of Mental Health and The Department of Public Health.

It would also require hospitals and emergency facilities to refer patients to an available treatment provider or offer on site care if available at the facility. 

The bill has now moved to the Senate. 

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