Democratic Convention, Wisconsin Life, Reclassification Of Opioid Addiction

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As the Democratic National Convention kicks off, we talk with our State Capitol Bureau Chief, on the ground in Philadelphia, about the role Wisconsin will play at the convention. We find out what the reasoning is behind a bill that would classify opioid addiction as a chronic health issue. And in Wisconsin Life, we make the acquaintance of the “Incomparable Hildegarde.”

Featured in this Show

  • Day One Of The Democratic National Convention

    WPR Capitol Bureau Chief Shawn Johnson reports on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. He talks about the how things are going at the convention so far, in light of leaked emails leading Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to announce her resignation, and he sums up the morning’s Wisconsin delegation breakfast, where U.S. Representative Gwen Moore spoke.

  • Wisconsin Life: The Incomparable Hildegarde

    She was a vaudeville performer, fashion icon, radio star, and an exotic musical performer. We’ll learn about the life and legacy of Hildegarde.

  • Obama Signs Bill Addressing Opioid Addiction As Health Issue

    The President signed a bill on Friday that would treat opioid addiction as a public health concern. The Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act of 2016, passed Congress with bipartisan support, but the President and other Democrats have said it still doesn’t go far enough. We talk to an addiction expert about how addiction treatment could change, and what still needs to be done.

  • Behavioral Health Experts Encouraged By New Opioid Addiction Bill

    Behavioral health experts are encouraged by a new bill in Congress that they say could change the way the country looks at and treats those suffering from addiction.

    During the last year, lawmakers saw more than a dozen bills tackling opioid addiction. On Friday, President Barack Obama signed a blend of those bills into law under the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016.

    Becky Vaughn, vice president of addictions at the National Council for Behavioral Health, said the new bill completely changes the tone and approach to treating addiction.

    “This is the first free-standing addiction bill that we’ve had come through Congress in over 30 years,” she said. “So, just the fact that the tone has changed to the recognition that this is a health issue, that it needs to be treated like a health issue, and that it can’t be ignored anymore, because being ignored has created this emergency situation.”

    Vaughn said this new approach is backed by a wealth of research produced by health organizations like the National Institute of Drug Abuse and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

    Vaughn is optimistic the bill will help expand better approaches towards recovery. For too long, addiction was seen as a character flaw or inappropriately dealt with through the criminal justice system, she said.

    “We’ve seen over the years that you absolutely can’t arrest your way out of this problem,” Vaughn said. “We’ve tried that approach. It hasn’t worked. You often put people who are addicted in prison, they come out addicted, they still don’t get the services they need.”

    The bill got support from Republicans and Democrats. However, the president still expressed concern the bill does not go far enough.

    In a statement last week, Obama said “some action is better than none,” and that he was disappointed in Republicans for not allocating more funding for addiction recovery.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Amanda Magnus Producer
  • Karl Christenson Producer
  • Haleema Shah Producer
  • Shawn Johnson Guest
  • Monica Gallamore Guest
  • Becky Vaughn Guest