IowaWatch (https://www.iowawatch.org/tag/opioid-addiction/)
Controversy about speech limits on college campuses in Iowa drew the most attention of all the IowaWatch stories written in 2016. Here is a look at our most-read stories of the year.
In-depth reporting on health and government topics requires a large investment of resources and time by journalists. We talk with three Iowa journalists about work they did behind the scenes for important stories.
Heroin addiction is growing nationwide, and eastern Iowa is no exception with more than 61 non-fatal overdoses and 21 deaths in 2015. Cedar Rapids Gazette healthcare reporter Chelsea Keenan and public safety reporter Lee Hermiston spoke with IowaWatch intern Brittany Robb about their stories that formed part of an in-depth look at the epidemic in The Gazette’s June 2016 series, “Heroin’s Hold In Iowa.”
Forty-four people die everyday in the U.S. from overdose of prescription pain killers, according to statistics provided by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Annually those overdose deaths exceed motor vehicle or firearms deaths. Iowa communities are working to address addiction issues, but for some those efforts are too late.