Opioid-related deaths decrease by 35%

According to preliminary data from the Iowa Department of Public Health, the number of opioid related deaths in Iowa has decreased this year compared to last year.

The number of opioid-related deaths has decreased by 35%. In the first eight months of this year, there were 89 opioid – related deaths compared with 137 in the same period last year.

"In my opinion, it's very important," said Kevin Gabbert, director of opioid initiatives at the Iowa Department of Public Health. He added that the decline was explained by several reasons, including a greater number of treatment options and legislation making naloxone, an opioid-based reversible drug, available to all.

Gabbert is preparing to ship $ 1,400 worth of Narcan kits to emergency rooms in Iowa hospitals. He added that the stigma was not as strong, which could also explain the decrease in the number of deaths.

"I think we have a very educated public now," said Gabbert.

This education helped people like Toni VerMeer, who stated that she could be dead after living with an addiction for nearly six years and overdosing five times.

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"The first time I took an overdose, I died for three minutes," VerMeer said.

The 23-year-old from Pella has been sober for two and a half years.

"It's scary to think that I would not be here now if I died," VerMeer said. "I can not imagine what my parents would have experienced, I thank God everyday for being sober and I'm not part of those numbers."

If you or any of your acquaintances misuse opioids, visit the site https://yourlifeiowa.org/ for information and resources.

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