Dr. McCord testifies during House committee hearing on opioid crisis

Rep. Ann Bollin this week welcomed a Livingston County doctor to the state capital, where he testified during a House committee hearing on the opioid crisis.

Dr. Matthew McCord, an acute pain physician and anesthesiologist, spoke in support of legislation to ensure patients have an option to avoid being offered, prescribed, or administered opioids.

“The opioid epidemic is a crisis that has touched so many families in Livingston County,” Bollin said. “I’m so thankful to Dr. McCord for leading this effort and providing such compelling testimony.”

Dr. McCord spoke about the need to make non-opioid directives available.

“Our pain crisis is a uniquely American problem that’s 30 years in the making,” McCord told the committee. “We are 4.6 percent of the world’s population, according to WHO, and we consume 80 percent of the world’s opioids. It’s a significant problem in the United States.

“Most often, the opioid addiction problem begins, innocent enough, with a doctor’s prescription. … Then you go down this pathway to dependance, addiction, incarceration, overdose,” he said. “I believe we need to change our thinking on opioid use, particularly after surgery.”

House Bills 5261-5264 require health care providers and insurers to make non-opioid directive forms available upon plan enrollment. Non-opioid forms not only allow patients to make their own medical decisions, but also bring patient awareness to alternative options to prevent initial exposure to opioids.