Opioid misuse in rural Iowa

The opioid crisis has hit rural America especially hard where workers tend to have higher injury rates with many jobs requiring physical labor and involving more risk. A December survey by the National Farmers Union and the American Farm Bureau Federation found that as many as 74% of farmers have been directly impacted by the opioid crisis.  The opioid crisis has hit rural America especially hard where workers tend to have higher injury rates with many jobs requiring physical labor and involving more risk. A December survey by the National Farmers Union and the American Farm Bureau Federation found that as many as 74% of farmers have been directly impacted by the opioid crisis.According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, opioids were a contributing factor to 59 deaths in Iowa in 2005 and 608 admissions for opioid treatment across the state. In 2016, the figures jumped to 180 opioid-related deaths and 2,274 treatment admissions.