A couple of members of Congress are not giving up on finding ways to fight the substance abuse epidemic that has gripped our region. Last week, U.S. Reps. Troy Balderson, R-Ohio 12th, and Robin Kelly, D-Ill. 2nd, reintroduced the Remote Opioid Monitoring Act, which would direct the federal government to study the effectiveness of remote monitoring technology in helping health care providers track patients who have received prescriptions for opioids.

“The opioid epidemic has devastated communities and families in Ohio and across the country,” said Balderson. “To combat this crisis, we must allow doctors to intervene early and prevent prescription abuse and misuse from the outset. This legislation empowers health care professionals to oversee their patients’ treatment and monitor how they respond to prescribed medication.”

According to Balderson’s office, 4,452 Ohioans died from unintentional opioid overdoses in 2023. It is a plague that continues to haunt our region, long after the fight against bad actors in health care and at pharmacies began, and settlements against pharmacies were won. Even now, it is not always easy for a health care professional to detect when a person who has been prescribed an opioid has developed an addiction, and intervention is required.

But the Remote Opioid Monitoring Act would take a step toward addressing that by asking the Comptroller General of the United States to study the remote monitoring of patients prescribed opioids and assess whether such programs are worth modeling to help improve federal health care programs.

Federal lawmakers should have no trouble getting on board with this effort to understand more about how we can fight this monster.