Name: Susan W. Brooks
Occupation: Representative of the Fifth District of Indiana
Previous jobs held: Senior Vice President of Workforce Development and General Counsel at Ivy Tech Community College, U.S. Attorney General for the Southern District of Indiana, Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis, Criminal Defense Attorney
Book(s) on my summer reading list: The Magnificent Mountain Women: Adventures in the Colorado Rockies by Janet Robertson
Proudest achievement since coming to Congress: I continue to be proud of the work my colleagues and I are doing to address the heroin and opioid epidemic that is claiming 78 Americans every day. This epidemic is sweeping across the country, and as a member of the conference committee tasked with developing a final, comprehensive package of solutions, I’m confident that we can help people struggling with addiction and their families, and ultimately, save lives.
Challenge facing your District that you’re working hard to address: Curbing heroin and opioid addiction is critical to the future of our country, and to my district. I’ve been focused on finding the root of the problem, which I believe is the culture of over-prescription that exists in this country. More than 80 percent of heroin users start with a legal prescription opioid, and we have to change patient expectations, prescriber guidelines, and pain management strategies to make sure that people are getting the care and treatment they need without creating an environment that can, in many cases, lead to addiction.
Finish this sentence: “If I could give the Republican nominee one bit of advice, it would be…” Policies and ideas that isolate us or discriminate undermine our leadership in the world and divide our country. As we look towards November, it’s important we focus on what we’re for, rather than what we stand against. Our ‘A Better Way’ policy agenda is a great start, and I hope it’s an agenda where we can all find some common ground on the best way forward for our country.