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Opioid Deaths Down In Iowa

(Des Moines, IA)  --  The number of people dying of opioid overdoses in Iowa has dropped.  The state Department of Public Health Bureau of Health Statistics reports there were 137 deaths last year,  the lowest rate in five years.  Officials say the decline could be attributed to greater access to the antidote naloxone, expansion of treatment options and closer monitoring of prescription opioids.