State Lawmakers Support Opioid Overdose Prevention and Drug Rehab Centers in Iowa
Iowa has one of the lowest rates of drug deaths in the U.S., and is just below the national average in terms of opioid prescriptions per capita. However, overdose deaths from opioids more than doubled between 2005 and 2015, while treatment admissions more than quadrupled, according to the Iowa Department of Health. These reports have state lawmakers working toward increasing access to overdose prevention programs and drug rehab centers in Iowa that can help lower opioid overdose rates.
If you’re addicted to heroin or another opioid drug, call our helpline at 888-414-2380 for support, guidance, and resources that can help you overcome addiction. Nobody should ever have to face addiction alone; our caring treatment specialists will help you find drug rehab centers in Iowa that can help you become healthier and achieve lifelong sobriety.
How Iowa Lawmakers Are Addressing Opioid Addiction
Iowa lawmakers are trying to increase access to opioid overdose prevention programs.
Earlier this year, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and lawmakers helped make an opioid overdose antidote called naloxone more available to first responders and family members of opioid addicts. This life-saving drug, also known as an antagonist, is a nasal spray that helps addicts avoid accidental death by overdose. Des Moines pharmacist and State Representative John Forbes says that while increasing availability to naloxone is a good move, this new law still doesn’t prevent people from abusing opioids in the first place.
Iowa lawmakers also worked on passing a law that required insurance companies to cover naloxone for individuals at risk for an overdose. The bill would provide immunity for anyone who sought medical help for an individual experiencing an opioid overdose. Unfortunately, the law wasn’t passed.
Another bill would require physicians and pharmacists to check prescription registries before prescribing opioids. However, this bill was also rejected, since hospitals said it would increase the workloads of physicians who are already busy. According to a report from the Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity, pharmaceutical companies have invested millions in political campaigns that can weaken measures aimed at reducing the rate of opioid prescriptions.
State Heroin Epidemic Calls For Excess Funding for Iowa Rehab Centers
Looking to Drug Rehab Centers For Help
While the state of Iowa continues to fight for opioid overdose prevention, drug rehab centers in Iowa can offer opioid addicts the care and treatment they need to overcome opioid addiction. Drug rehab centers can help patients detox opioids from their bodies so they can work toward becoming healthier and learning how to live without using opioids. Drug rehab centers can even help the state save millions that would otherwise be spent on hospital care and incarceration costs for addicts.
At opioid rehab centers, patients can achieve sobriety through detox and work with therapists and counselors to identify the root cause of their addiction. Patients then receive education about nutrition, exercise, and other healthy lifestyle habits they can adopt throughout recovery and beyond. Drug addiction can often be prevented through education, which helps patients understand the risks involved with opioid abuse.
Following rehab, patients continue to receive aftercare in the form of ongoing counseling or therapy to lower the risk for relapse. Additionally, patients can attend support groups and education classes that connect them with like-minded comrades also recovering from opioid addiction. Most rehab patients go on to live happier, more satisfying drug-free lives after overcoming addiction.
If you or someone you love is addicted to heroin or opioids, it’s not too late to get help for your addiction. Call our confidential helpline at 888-414-2380 to learn more about drug rehab centers in Iowa and other treatments that can help you overcome addiction for good.
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