Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to baltimore and online viewer around the world good morning and welcome. Im dean of the John Hopkins Bloomberg school of Public Health. Want to extend a special welcome from president president bill clinton [and several pile simake Elijah Cummings and. Id like to extend an especially warm welcome to senator Barbara Mccosky whom we are now proud to call one of our own. Thank you so much for being here. We are authorized work with the Clinton Foundation to bring you this submit on americas Opioid Epidemic. This is a National Crisis that demands involvement from all levels of government, public and private organizations, as well as from individual citizens. Nearly 100 every day done every day near hi 100 die from opioid overdose. Over the past 15 years the death rate from opiode overdose has tripled. The causes are complex. Millions with chronic noncancer pain are prescribe opioids instead of safer alternatives, heroin is more available and increase leg cont