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Taking Action on Opioids

September 19, 2018 by Editor in

The United States is in the grips of one of the most insidious addiction crises in our history, driven not by illicit drugs purchased in clandestine transactions, but ones made available in retail outlets by trusted professionals.

More than 63,000 people died from a drug overdose in 2016 – roughly 174 people every day. Two-thirds of these 2016 overdose deaths involved an opioid.  In Minnesota, the increase in drug overdose death rates from 2015 to 2016 was one of the most significant in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 672 Minnesotans died from opioid overdoses in 2016 alone.

We are losing our family members, friends and loved ones.  

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May is Mental Health Month

May 16, 2018 by Editor in

During Mental Health Month, I want to call special attention to the tenth leading cause of death in the United States: suicide.  More than 100 American lives are lost to suicide each day. That means in the next hour, four people will commit suicide. One will be a veteran.

In our state, suicide is the second leading cause of death among Minnesotans ages 15-34.

These staggering numbers are part of a larger trend. From 2000-2010, suicides increased 16 percent. In that same 10 year period, deaths from causes like stroke and heart disease declined. While we have made progress in reducing deaths from physical diseases, we have left those dealing with substance use and mental illness behind.

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