(Radio Iowa) – Iowa has received a federal grant of nearly 18 million dollars to address deaths from opioids and methamphetamine. The Opioid Initiatives Director at the state health department, Kevin Gabbert, says opioid deaths are still a concern here. “We did see a decline in 2018 — however in 2019, those numbers have increased again. And for 2020 — it looks like those numbers are going to pass what we had in 2019,” Gabbert says. The number of opioid deaths in Iowa increased from 137 in 2018 to 157 in 2019. Gabbert says they have a variety of ways to address the issue. “We are going to be adding a prevention staff person in every one of our 19 service areas across the state. Our service areas represent all 99 counties,” Gabbert says. “We will continue to fund medication assisted treatment services for individuals. In addition, we’re going to be providing recovery support services — things like transportation, dental services, housing.”

Methamphatamines are what’s know as psychostimulants, and Gabbert says they continue to remain a problem. “For the first time, psychostimulant-related deaths have passed opioid-related deaths. It’s Not by much, but none the less it has passed it,” Gabbert says. “And when you start to look at the number of individuals who have experienced an overdose death and had both psychostimulants and opioids in their system — that number has quadrupled in the last decade.” Gabbert says the coroanvirus pandemic has had some impact on the use of these drugs. “We don’t know the full impact as of this time — but some of the things that we know are issues in regards to COVID-19 are things like isolation. There could be many reasons for this, we’ve got many people who are practicing social distancing,” Gabbert says.

He says there is key health link they do know about between the use of these drugs and COVID-19. “COVID-19 can have a significant impact on an individual’s normal ability to breathe. For those individuals who experience an opioid overdose, respiratory depression is the primary cause of death,” according to Gabbert. “So if you have an individual who has COVID-19 and uses opioids — there’s a possibility that the two issues combined could cause an increased risk of experiencing a respiratory issue.”

Gabbert says the two year grant is from the federal department of Health and Human Services.

(Radio Iowa) – Fewer than one-percent of Iowans live in nursing homes, but the state director of A-A-R-P Iowa says 50-percent of all coronavirus-related deaths in the state are in residents of long-term care facilities. Brad Anderson says Iowans living in nursing homes are in “grave danger” with more than 540 dead from the virus statewide this year, and he says many measures to protect those residents are still not in place. “We have Iowans dying in nursing homes at an unacceptable rate, that needs to be addressed,” Anderson says. “Secondly, we’ve got residents and families that are suffering greatly from social isolation. You can’t deal with that second crisis until you deal with the first crisis.”

The organization is calling on the governor to enact new rules like requiring regular testing for COVID-19 and providing easier access to personal protective gear. Also: “We need to insure adequate staffing levels,” Anderson says. “Nursing homes weren’t really adequately staffed prior to the pandemic and the situation has only gotten worse.” In addition, AARP wants regulations that would require virtual visitation in long-term care facilities, to put a bandaid on the challenges of social isolation. “What that means is training residents and family members on how to use things like FaceTime and iPads and Skype to allow them to connect virtually until we can get back to safe, regular, in-person visitation,” Anderson says, “which is what everyone wants but we’re still very far from achieving that.”

The nonprofit, nonpartisan AARP is also calling for the creation of a state task force to address the crisis in nursing homes. Anderson notes, there’s all kinds of discussion about Iowa schools during the pandemic, and rightly so. “How do we deal with virtual learning and how do we get to a path for in-person learning? These conversations are happening at all levels related to schools,” Anderson says, “yet we have had 50% of the deaths related to COVID in Iowa nursing homes and there seems to be next-to-no public conversation about this crisis.” Anderson says the enacting of common-sense policies will save lives.

The Creston Police Department reports 33-year old Christina Marie McDonald, of Creston, was arrested Thursday afternoon at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, for Theft in the 5th Degree. McDonald was cited and released on a Summons to Appear. And, a Creston man reported to Police Wednesday morning, that someone had forcibly entered his garage in the 500 block of S. Oak Street.

The man saidvarious tools, a cordless drill, a tool belt, a multi-meter and a Smith &Wesson M&P m2.0 TS .9mm pistol had been stolen. The loss was estimated at $1000.