U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is hoping a bill she introduced late last month will have a lasting impact on veteran's programs.
Speaking in Rhinelander last week, Baldwin talked about the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act. The veteran died after allegedly being prescribed too many opiates at the VA Hospital in Tomah....
"....frankly, this case is not unique. There's an over reliance across the country and the VA so I introduced the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act in consultation with Jason's family..."
Baldwin's bill has received broad bipartisan support from veteran's groups and members of Congress.
Baldwin was sharply criticized after the situation came to light in Tomah by several groups. Besides two opiod deaths, the VA in Tomah was criticized after the death of a third veteran, 74 year old Thomas Baer of Marshfield died of a stroke. Family members told a Congressional hearing that Baer didn't get proper treatment soon enough. He died in a LaCrosse facility after being moved from the VA facility in Tomah. The Inspector General's report on the incident did not find fault with the VA, but that report is also being criticized.
