August-26-2020
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INSIDE... INTERMOUNTAIN WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020 HEALTHCARE WAGING WAR AGAINST OPIOID MISUSE VOL. 12 NO. 39 LIFE IRONCOUNTYTODAY.COM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020 Cedar Reds 4 Opinion keep positive 11 Showcase outlook on 13 Life return to 22 Sports school 26 Classifieds 29 Comics MUDDY FUN PAGE 16 COREY BAUMGARTNER 2 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020 NEWS IRON COUNTY TODAY Intermountain Healthcare waging war against opioid misuse by Jordan D. MERRILL and Intermountain Healthcare have COMMUNITY HEALTH, CEDAR CITY HOSPITAL partnered to make available Living Well with Chronic Pain classes to The threat of war has been a con- be provided free to the community stant looming notion in the past few in Cedar City and across Southern weeks. However, we are already at Utah. Classes are evidence based war locally and as a nation. This war with proven outcomes. If you or is with opioids and addiction. If you someone you know have been using have been connected to any media opioids for chronic pain or have been outlets over the past 6 months or so suffering with chronic pain at all, you would have undoubtedly seen check out www.livingwell.utah.gov the Surgeon Generals declaration on for a list of free classes statewide. the opioid crisis calling it an “epi- There are many alternative methods demic.” Opioids are highly addictive to prescription pain medication for prescription medications. Talk about you to consider reducing your own “war” or “epidemics” can be very risk of addiction such as: physical scary, especially when we have loved therapy, exercise, Naproxen (Aleve), ones affected by such drugs. cognitive behavioral therapy, Utah is no stranger to the combination of acetaminophen and negative effects of these narcotic ibuprofen along with many others drugs prescribed to treat pain. Utah shared in these classes. ranks 4th in the nation on drug Cedar City Hospital has recently overdose deaths, with an average partnered with the Iron County of 6 deaths occurring each week. Sheriff’s Department to and Even our wonderful communities in Township Pharmacy to install pre- Iron County have been hit hard by scription drop-boxes in Cedar City as the negative outcomes of opioids in well as at Parowan Pharmacy. 74% of the past couple of years. Locally per Utahns currently addicted to opioids capita, Iron County has a 25% higher got them from a family or friend first. death rate than even the horrendous Drop-boxes are an excellent way state average! Still sounding scary to get rid of these unused Rx drugs isn’t it? without question or harming the All is not lost though! There is GETTY IMAGES environment. Your proper care and hope on the horizon with vast efforts (Naloxone a safe medication used to Cedar City Hospital and all disposal of these drugs keep them being made locally and statewide counteract the effects of opioids to Intermountain facilities have out of the wrong hands and lessen to curb opioid misuse and reverse get the individual breathing again.) reduced internal opioid prescribing the chance someone will become the trend of addiction and death It can also be obtained by anyone by 37% in 2018 and over 40% in 2019. addicted to them. Check out www. in our community. Intermountain at a local pharmacy here in Utah. Those stats may seem difficult to useonlyasdirected.org for drop box Healthcare’s Cedar City Hospital Hundreds of these Naloxone kits follow when we dip into percentages, locations statewide. has made definitive impact in have been distributed locally at no but those numbers equate to over 3 Intermountain Healthcare plans reducing opioid prescribing and cost in 2019. These kits have gone million less opioid pills into homes on doing nothing but ramping up usage recently. Statewide and out to residents and organizations statewide over the past year alone! the level of effort put into curbing locally Intermountain Healthcare, in through Intermountain’s CCH efforts Movement is happening and it is opioid addiction this coming year partnership with Utah Naloxone, has and partnerships at health fairs, indi- making a difference in our commu- as well. Cedar City Hospital will contributed over 60,000 Naloxone vidualized trainings or community nity. Discussions are occurring more continue to fund donations for kits to communities statewide in distribution through united efforts often with patients and physicians wonderful community organizations from 2018 to 2019 with over 4,770 with the Iron County Prevention on alternative options. In fact, Five known reversals of opioid overdoses. Coalition. County Association of Governments see OPIOIDS » 9 IRON COUNTY TODAY NEWS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020 3 Iron County Republican Women celebrate 150 years of women’s suffrage in Utah GROUP ALSO HONORS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF 19TH AMENDMENT from Tessa DOUGLAS is known about her personal life. FOR IRON COUNTY TODAY A reminder that ordinary people make history, too.” The Iron County Republican The Iron County Republican Women celebrated the 150th Women’s monthly lunches are anniversary of Utah women held the third Wednesday of each being granted the right to vote at month at the Courtyard Marriott. their monthly lunch meeting last The lunches feature speakers who Wednesday. The lunch took place present on a variety of topics one day after the 100th anniversary related to local and national of the 19th Amendment, which politics. The cost is $20 per person, declares the right of U.S. citizens to and attendees are encouraged to vote shall not be denied on account purchase their lunch tickets ahead of sex. of time through the Iron County Utah was the first Republican Women state to allow Facebook Page or women to vote their website and led the at ironcoun- way for the tyrepubli- rest of the canwomen. nation. The com. Social luncheon distancing focused on is practiced, the history and those of women’s who don’t feel suffrage in comfortable Utah and the attending in contributions person are women have able to watch made in a live stream government through the since. Each organization’s lunch table Facebook had cards page. with infor- Iron mation about County different Republican women of Women is significance in affiliated with Utah’s suf- both the Utah fragist history, C OURTESY PHOTO Federation and available from ON FEBRUARY 14, 1870, SERAPH the National the "Better Days YOUNG (1846-1938) became the first Federation of woman to cast a legal ballot in Salt 2020" website. Lake City’s municipal elections. Republican Guests were Women. The goal invited to share of our organiza- their thoughts about the various tion is to educate and empower women represented. women who esteem the conser- The final card was Seraph vative principles and values set Young, the first woman to vote forth in the Republican platform. in Utah. Donna Law, ICRW board We also help elect Republican member and Wednesday’s pre- candidates to office. We desire to senter, finished the meeting by motivate more women to become sharing “Despite the historical involved in the on-going quest for significance of her vote, very little good government. 4 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020 NEWS IRON COUNTY TODAY OPINION A DMINISTRATION R . Gail Stahle THO SE WERE THE DAYS P UBLISHER The opinions stated in this article are [email protected] Day” to celebrate the majority. NBC News poll of registered voters solely those of the author and not of So, when I pulled up at the coffee shop conducted before the Democratic and Deborah Martineau Iron County Today. last week I was stunned – and also heart- Republican conventions, Black voters O FFICE MANAGER ened – to see a large banner attached to prefer Joe Biden by an 88% to 8% officemanager@ stopped by a popular coffee shop the roof: Black Lives Matter. margin. It hasn’t always been this way. In ironcountytoday.com restaurant in my community last What had changed over the years? the late 1950s, Black voters – when they A DVERTISING week and was starkly reminded of Attitudes of the clientele. The younger could vote – gave the Republican Party Ihow times change. people now sitting at the counter had a solid majority. Today, the minority vote Scott Stahle Times change. That shouldn’t come as grown up in an era in which racial jus- (Black Latino, Asian, etc.) is a depend- S ALES REPRESENTATIVE a surprise. A friend was once a tenured tice and equal rights were unquestioned able Democrat base. [email protected] supervisor overseeing pay phones. He principles of a diverse America. They had When I entered college, the 801.755.5999 was soon unemployed. no problem with interracial marriage Democrats could rely on the “high Travelers used to dress up to board school or less” blue-collar vote going P atti Bostick airplanes. Now it is not uncom- to Democrats whereas the more S ALES REPRESENTATIVE mon to see travelers dressed in educated Americans supported the [email protected] flip-flops and pajamas. “Sunday Republicans. Today, the “high school 435.592.1030 best” attire for women once or less” blue-collar vote supports Pres. EDITORIAL included hats. Men had shoes Trump by a 54% to 36% margin and resoled. Televisions used to be Cyclops college-educated voters are firmly in Corey Baumgartner repaired, not taken to the dump. the Biden camp, 60% to 30%. M ANAGING EDITOR One didn’t go to restaurants And our lifestyles have changed as [email protected] except on special occasions. by Bryan GRAY well. When I was born, some 60% of Students took sack lunches Americans were considered “middle Shay Baruffi since there were no prepared COLUMNIST class” with incomes between $2,000- R EPORTER lunches in school cafeterias.