Nationally, deaths from suicide, drugs and alcohol are declining. But in Iowa, they're rising, and they're often referred to as "deaths of despair." On this episode, we hear from Lauren Williams, an Iowa woman who lost her brother to suicide, and from Kayla Mayer of Cherokee County Public Health, who's working to decrease the local rate of suicide. We also talk with Daniel Wheaton of the Midwest Newsroom and Dr. Alison Lynch of the University of Iowa on why our state is seeing more deaths of despair and what can be done about it.
-
Sioux City officially approved selling land to a nonprofit for an inpatient addiction treatment facility, which city officials say is greatly needed. The project is the dream of a woman who overcame her own addiction. -
Advocates are pushing for approval of psychedelic-assisted therapy from the FDA, seeking a means of therapy without fear of breaking laws. At the same time, University of Iowa researchers are testing how psychedelic-assisted therapy could be used to treat alcoholism. -
Residents and staff say they were saddened by the news that the Warming Shelter in Sioux City was planning to cease operations. They wonder what will happen next.
-
Psychedelic-assisted therapy show promise in treating anxiety, chronic pain and PTSD. Experts discuss the latest research in the area. -
Narcan is underutilized. Federal and local governments are urging schools to address a growing concern. -
State departments of health across the region have taken some action and issued advisories as the synthetic drug-involved overdose death toll has risen in recent years.
-
For the first time, Medicare will be able to negotiate prices directly with drugmakers.
-
The Medicare medication negotiation plan faces legal action from pharmaceutical companies and criticism from Republican lawmakers, including Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. -
What’s a fair price to pay for prescription drugs? Medicare will soon face this and other tough questions when it begins historic price negotiations with drugmakers.
