(KIWA Staff Photo)Iowa (RI) — The Iowa Poison Control Center is launching a new program to provide 24/7 clinical advice to healthcare professionals treating patients who’ve overdosed on opioids or are living with opioid addiction.
The effort is funded through Iowa’s opioid settlement, which is sending $186 million to the state from pharmacy chains and drug manufacturers.
Medical director Dr. Daniel McCabe says the center has long offered advice on substance-use cases, but the grant allows them to set up a more formal process.
The new program, called I-BEACON, will make clinicians like McCabe available for consultants and provide guidance on buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
While many doctors can prescribe buprenorphine, McCabe says they often lack immediate access to expert advice on monitoring patients or responding to adverse reactions. The Poison Control Hotline will now serve as that 24/7, 365-day resource.
McCabe, an emergency medicine specialist at University of Iowa Health Care, says ERs across the state see numerous patients each day with opioid disorder.
The CDC estimates 17,000 Iowans are addicted to opioids. The latest report from the Iowa Department of Public Safety shows 172 opioid-related deaths in 2024.
