Articles Tagged: Opioids

Recap of news from around the state

A Wellman man is suing Mercy Hospital in Iowa City for giving him 10 times the dose of an opioid drug for pain that a doctor prescribed after he broke his ribs in a fall.

State public health officials say more than a thousand Iowans struggling with opioid addiction would be served by expanded access to treatment and recovery support services.

Medication-assisted treatment underused in Iowa, Attorney General Tom Miller said Monday.

Cassandra Collins, clinical director for Area Substance Abuse Council, talks about grappling with a dramatic increase in overdose deaths and heavy drinking in Iowa.

Also, Gov. Kim Reynolds signs a proclamation honoring the USS Iowa

As Iowa grapples with a dramatic increase in overdose deaths involving fentanyl, some experts and activists say the best-proven solutions are currently criminalized in the state.

Also, it was another big financial year for the Iowa Lottery

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced Teva has agreed to contribute more than $4.3 billion in cash and medications to settle lawsuits in various states, including Iowa.

Recap of news from across the state

The state public health department estimates that deaths in Iowa due to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, rose from 31 percent of all overdoses in 2016 to 87 percent in 2021.

A former Cedar Rapids nurse pleaded guilty to tampering with vials of opioids and stealing them for her own use. She punctured the vials and refilled them with a clear liquid to conceal her crime.

U.S. District Court judge rejects a $4.3 billion settlement, including Iowa’s estimated $25 million share, that would have been used for opioid abuse prevention, treatment and recovery efforts.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has signed an agreement with the University of Iowa Health Care to direct $3.8 million in settlement funds from opioid manufacturers and distributors. Under a new program announced Wednesday, UI Health Care providers will train more health care providers statewide to offer Medication for Addiction Treatment, or MAT, for those with opioid use disorder.

Opioid-related deaths increased by 35 percent in Iowa in 2020, following a national trend that has advocates raising the alarm about the surge. State officials reported 213 opioid-related deaths last year, up from the 157 deaths reported in 2019 and a previous high of 206 in 2017.