(Des Moines, Iowa) -- Opioid-related deaths are up in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Health reports 211 deaths last year, up 54 from the year before.
IDPH says the pandemic may not be the entire cause of the increase, but factors from the pandemic like isolation and less access to health care services likely contributed.
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control says synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, caused the largest number of overdose deaths nationwide.