Brunswick County man testifying in D.C. about opioid crisis

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A man from Brunswick County will be testifying in Washington, D.C. tomorrow to advocate for the fight against the opioid crisis.

Three years before Don Flattery moved to Brunswick County from Virginia, life looked a little different.

“My son Kevin enjoyed all the blessings of a quintessential middle class American life,” Flattery said.

Flattery said his song Kevin began self medicating while pursuing a passion in the film industry in New York City after college.

“He quickly became dependent and addicted and returned home to northern Virginia seeking our help and treatment,” Flattery said.

Just days before starting a new medication-based treatment, Flattery lost his only son at 26 years old.

“What my son’s story does is it re-enforces that people who become affected by opioid addiction comes from all walks of life, all income levels,” Flattery said.

That was when Flattery began taking Kevin’s story door to door in Washington, DC.

“I knocked on a lot of doors on Members of Congress,” Flattery said. “I was a local advocate. I wore out a lot of shoe leather doing that and I established some relationships.”

That led to panel discussions, an invitation to the President’s State of the Union Address, and now an invitation to testify in front of the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to re-authorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

“Because Congressman Connolly felt that my son’s story and my advocacy added an important dimension to their proceedings,” Flattery said.

Flattery said the ONDCP pulls together policy to combat the nation’s drug use and abuse. He hopes the hearing will be able to keep the ONDCP in place.

“That will have a direct impact on every state including North Carolina, because ONDCP manages law enforcement related activities and supports law enforcement activities through their high intensity drug trafficking area program,” Flattery said.

He said because of a change in focus over the years, some have questioned the value of having one group coordinate drug control policy or if multiple agencies should handle it. Flattery’s fear is what would happen if the ONDCP is eliminated.

“I think that ultimately will harm the effort to have a coordinated attack on what is a public health emergency,” Flattery said.

Flattery will testify in Washington, DC tomorrow morning between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. We will check in with him tomorrow afternoon for an update.

Flattery also became an active member in the Brunswick County Opioid Task Force earlier this year.