July 21, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 128 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page H3608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HONORING IRA KATZ

  (Mr. CARTER of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a champion.
  Ira Katz, a registered pharmacist and owner of Little Five Points 
Pharmacy, was recognized as Champion for Opioid Safety by the Georgia 
Pharmacy Association. He received this title after completing a series 
of educational programming aimed at reducing opioid-related overdoses.
  Everything began when he was connected to a local needle exchange 
operation and was made aware of the need to provide opioid education 
and Naloxone, or Narcan, to whoever needed it. Naloxone is a drug that 
reverses opioid overdoses.
  According to the CDC, overdoses involving opioids killed nearly 
47,000 people in 2018, and 32 percent of those deaths involved 
prescription opioids. That number is far too high, which is why we 
desperately need people like Ira Katz fighting on the front lines to 
save countless lives for a more positive future.
  As the only pharmacist currently serving in Congress, I understand 
the importance of fighting the opioid epidemic and serving one's 
community with the utmost integrity.
  I applaud Ira Katz for his 39 years of hard work to serve the people 
of the Atlanta community, and I wish him all the best in the years to 
come.

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