Statewide Iowa — A new study shows Iowa has one of the nation’s lowest drug overdose death rates, despite a significant rise in the state’s numbers.
Ben Miller, president of Well Being Trust, says nearly 92,000 Americans died from overdoses in 2020, an astounding 31% increase over the 2019 rate and the largest year-over-year increase on record. Miller says Iowa’s figures were far lower than other states, but also saw a dramatic boost.
While Iowa’s death rates were among the country’s lowest, Miller says the figures are still menacing.
Iowa is doing several things right, Miller says, like increasing access to naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal or “rescue” drug.
There are also fewer prescription opioids being prescribed, he says, and Iowa has a prescription monitoring program. Miller says overdose death rates have been rising nationwide since 1999 and he fears the era of COVID-19 is going to be the worst yet.
The study was conducted by Well Being Trust and Trust for America’s Health.
