The Iowa Department of Public Health plans to give out three million dollars in federal funding to help provide more treatment for those with addictions to prescription drugs and heroin. The department’s Monica Wilke Brown says those who’re addicted will be treated with a couple of types of medication. “There’s been a limited level of treatment options for people who wanted to use medications. The research has gotten very well developed over the last for some people in some cases,” Brown says.

She says the medications that treat the addiction work in a couple of ways. “Some work in the brain to reduce the cravings that people have for the drug,” Brown explains. “And others make it less pleasurable for people to use the drugs.” The grant money will go to substance abuse providers who have medical professionals on their staff who can monitor and use of the medication to help the patients. Brown says that’s important because of the differences in how people react to treatment.

“One person might have success with methadone and another person might have success with maltrexone. Just like individuals are different, they respond differently to different medications,” Brown says. Brown says the number of people admitted for the treatment for addiction for the pain-killing drugs known as Opioids, has gone up rapidly. “It’s increased 152 percent just from 2007 to 2012. And one of the things that is of a particular concern with Opioid drugs — whether they are prescription drugs or heroin — the risk of overdose is great, and people can die from overdose,” Brown says. Thirty-three Iowans died from opioid overdose deaths last year.

“As people get more and more pain medications — usually legitimately after a surgery or an injury of some sort — then some people end up addicted and with a disorder from using that opioid. We’ve seen that increase here in Iowa, just as we have seen across the country,” according to Brown. Nineteen people died in Iowa last year from heroin overdoses. She says there will be treatment services available across the state.

You can Google “Iowa Drug Treatment” or look on the Drug-Free-Iowa.org website to find a treatment provider. “People can also reach out to their physician and ask for a referral for specialized services, because substance abuse treatment is really medical care for a chronic condition,” Brown says. One million dollars of the money from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will be distributed each year for a three-year period.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A meat company based in Nebraska is recalling 167,427 pounds of ground beef that might be tainted with E. coli bacteria. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Sunday that All American Meats Incorporated is recalling the meat that was sold to retailers nationwide. No illnesses have been linked to the beef.

The recalled meat was produced on October 16th, and it was sold in either 60-pound or 80-pound packages. All the meat that is being recalled had a sell-by date of Nov. 3 and establishment number 20420 in the USDA inspection stamp.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 3-year-old boy appears to have fallen from a second-floor window in Council Bluffs, yet managed to avoid major injury. Council Bluffs police are investigating the incident that happened around 10:20 a.m. Sunday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For months, Texas Senator Ted Cruz has flown under the radar in the Republican presidential race. That’s an unusual position for a politician who’s been in the spotlight since arriving in Washington nearly three years ago. Now, Cruz is trying to ride a standout performance in last week’s debate into new momentum for his campaign. He’s casting himself as the conservative the party’s right flank has been waiting for — one who’s both uncompromising and electable.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad’s effort to privatize Iowa’s Medicaid program continues to move forward, though critics are raising questions about the projected cost savings. On Tuesday a legislative oversight committee will hold the first of two scheduled hearings to review the privatization plans.

LARRABEE, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa landowners who oppose a proposed pipeline to carry North Dakota oil to Illinois hope state regulators will consider their concerns about the project. Rancher Jack Montgomery tells the Sioux City Journal that the pipeline Dakota Access has proposed has started to seem like a done deal. The Iowa Utilities Board is scheduled to begin pipeline hearings on November 12th after a judge ruled that landowners should take their concerns to regulators before filing a lawsuit.

The Iowa State Patrol, late Sunday afternoon, released information pertaining to a single-vehicle, personal injury accident that took place Friday night. Officials say the driver of the car, 83-year old Charles Miller, and his passenger, 75-year old Shirley Miller, both of Colman, SD, suffered minor scratches and complained of pain, but refused transport to the hospital.The couple were wearing their seat belts.

According to the report, Charles Miller was driving a 1999 Chevy pickup southbound on Interstate 29 at around 7:45-p.m. with his cruise control set at 70-mph. He exited at mile marker 74 to eastbound I-680, but didn’t intend to do so and was unable to negotiate the posted 30-mph curve. His pickup left the road and sideswiped a tree causing disabling damage to the vehicle.

A man from southern Iowa’s Decatur County was arrested on drug charges Sunday afternoon, in Adams County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 35-year old William Dale DeLong, of Van Wert, was arrested at around 2:15-p.m. following a traffic stop. Inside his vehicle, deputies found marijuana and a pot pipe. DeLong was arrested for Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was being held in the Adams County Jail on $1,000 bond.

(Updated 11:50-a.m. 11/2)

A three-year old Council Bluffs boy who fell from the second story window of his home Sunday morning, is recovering at home after being treated for his injuries at an Omaha hospital. Officers were called to 611 S. 9th Street at around 10:25-a.m. Sunday.

Detectives were called to the scene for further investigation of the incident, but Bluffs Police said Monday that at this point the incident appears to be nothing more than an accident, and there was nothing to indicate negligence on the part of the parents.

Police in Creston said Sunday, no injuries were reported following a collision just before 1-p.m. Saturday, at W. Townline St. and Sumner Avenue (Hwy. 25). The accident happened as a van driven by 61-year old John Konstantinos, of Greenfield, was traveling north on Sumner Avenue, and a 2013 Nissan Altima driven by 40-year old Jean Egli, of Osceola, was traveling east on Townline Road.

Authorities say both drivers were waiting at the flashing, 4-way red stop light. After a bus went through the intersection, Konstantinos’ vehicle proceeded north and collided with the car. Damage from the collision amounted to $4,000. No citations were issued.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad’s effort to privatize Iowa’s Medicaid program continues to move forward, though critics are raising questions about the projected cost savings, how contracts have been awarded and just how this will impact patients.  On Tuesday a legislative oversight committee will hold the first of two scheduled hearings to review the privatization plans.

Branstad says the move to private management will mean more streamlined service at a lower cost, but some involved in the Medicaid system and patients are questioning whether they will still get the care they need. Iowa’s Medicaid program provides care to poor children, families and disabled people, as well as some low-income adults. It is funded with $4.2 billion in state and federal dollars.

An Associated Press investigation into sexual misconduct by law enforcement officers in the U.S. identified some 1,000 in six years who lost their licenses for sexual assault or other sex offenses or misconduct, including possession of child pornography, voyeurism and sex on duty. The findings are based on an analysis of state records for an administrative process called decertification, but the AP found that policies regarding decertification vary widely from state to state.

Forty-one states provided information, three did not, and six states and the District of Columbia said they did not decertify officers for misconduct. In determining whether a decertification was sex-related, the AP relied mostly on the reason a state provided, but cause was not always clear. Some states gave no reason for a revoked license, or used terms such as “conduct unbecoming an officer” or “voluntary surrender” for officers the AP determined, through additional reporting, had committed sex-related crimes or misconduct.

In Iowa, the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy decertified 53 officers, seven for sex-related misconduct. Agencies must notify the state when an officer resigns and explain why if there is a “substantial likelihood” that certification could be revoked or suspended as a result. Noncriminal misconduct, in addition to convictions, can prompt decertification.

For the second day in a row, Police in Red Oak were led on a pursuit following a traffic stop. This (Sunday) morning at around 12:30, officers attempted to stop a 2014 Ford Fusion for failure to obey a traffic control device, at the intersection of Oak and Broadway Streets. The car sped-off, with the pursuit continuing through Red Oak for a short period of time. Authorities say the car was traveling in a reckless manner and the driver had a wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. The vehicle was later found in the 1500 block of Summit Street. The driver was identified as 29-year old Michael Kent Webb, of Red Oak.

Upon further investigation, Webb was found to allegedly by under the influence of alcohol. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and charged with Felony Eluding, OWI/1st offense, and cited for numerous traffic violations. No injuries to police officers or damage to patrol vehicles took place during the pursuit. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in the case. Webb was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond.

Early Saturday morning, 22-year old Rocky Alan James Runyon, of Hastings, was arrested following a pursuit that also began in Red Oak.  The chase spanned three counties and ended in Fremont County. Runyon was charged with eluding. He was also charged with Driving While Revoked, and cited for numerous traffic offenses.