Clinton adviser gathers input from Iowans on fighting substance abuse

DES MOINES - It's not something she expects to register in presidential preference polls, but Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston welcomes Hillary Clinton's attention to substance abuse issues, including the spread of meth and syringe-injected drugs, in rural communities in Iowa.

'It is an issue that we're seeing in multiple ways,” Langston said Monday. 'And I don't think it's something the pollsters are asking about but (Clinton) is hearing about it everywhere she goes.”

The Clinton campaign confirmed that substance abuse is an issue raised by voters the 2016 Democratic presidential hopeful has visited with in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere.

To follow up on those concerns, Clinton senior policy adviser Ann O'Leary had a video conference that included Langston - a Clinton supporter, and Candace Accord, who works in a Cedar Rapids community-based corrections facility. State Reps. Ako Abdul-Samad and Marti Anderson, both of Des Moines, also were part of the Friday conference.

Addressing substance abuse and related issues is part of Clinton's focus on strengthening families and communities - one of the 'four fights” she has laid out, her campaign said. The others priorities are building the economy, campaign finance reform and national security.

Among the concerns the Iowans shared with O'Leary, Langston said, was growing evidence of 'pockets of rural Iowa with an incredible spike in HIV” because of people sharing needles to inject drugs, including anti-depressants.

'That's a dual wallop,” she said.

Another concern for Langston in her positions on the county board and as immediate past president of the National Association of Counties is what is known as the 'jail inmate exception.” Ironically, she said, the policy, which denies federal benefits to jail inmates whether or not they have been found guilty of a crime, dates back to President Bill Clinton's administration.

When inmates lose their Medicaid, veterans' benefits or other federal assistance, the county picks up the costs, Langston said. Often it take 60 days or more to get benefits reinstated if the inmate is not found guilty.

The Iowans told O'Leary Clinton should focus on prevention and treatment before criminalization, according to the campaign. The discussion included the need to increase support for law enforcement and treatment providers as well as address the nationwide shortage of treatment capacity both in and outside the criminal justice system.

Among the suggestions were adequately funding treatment programs, addressing health care gaps, increasing services for rural areas and access to mental health services.