Senate Candidate Evan Jenkins talks about new legislation to help the opioid crisis

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BECKLEY, W. Va. - Congressman Evan Jenkins joined doctors and healthcare experts to discuss the opioid crisis in West Virginia at FMRS on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

Jenkins is sponsoring new crisis legislation to handle the opioid epidemic. Today's meeting focused on opioid exposure during pregnancy. Experts said organizations like Lilly's Place and Turning Point help keep mothers and their babies together to help with bonding while mothers get treatment. 

Dr. Amira Khokar from Raleigh General Hospital said the community can even help with treatment for mothers. "Just being open minded and less judgmental. We all come with biases, and we all feel like well why did this women choose this? You know it's like saying walk a mile in their shoes you have to understand that everybody comes from different backgrounds and they've had different life experiences that lead them to this point," Khokar said. 

A CDC report in 2016 found incidence of drug-addiction in newborns has grown by 300%.