IowaWatch (https://www.iowawatch.org/tag/substance-abuse/)
In 2019, flooding hit the small Mills County, Iowa, town of Pacific Junction. Recovery is slow, Mayor Andy Young said in August 2020, a year after the waters rose 7 to 11 feet in nearly all homes. Three generations of his family live in “PJ.” The town will not be the same — and neither will the people. Young expects 125 to 135 families who were flooded will go for buyouts that are being offered.
Hundreds of child abuse victims and their families are being denied a method of healthcare that experts praise, because the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics shut down a specialized outpatient clinic that had been providing comprehensive service for 15 years throughout eastern Iowa.
The number of methamphetamine labs reported in Iowa has decreased, but increased meth use and the higher potency of the drug available to users means meth is still impacting Iowa communities and children. Kids raised in a home with a parent addicted to the drug face higher risks for neglect and a number of health issues.