8 Broadcaster Press May 17, 2016 www.broadcasteronline.com Addressing The Opioid Epidemic By Rep. Kristi Noem It could start with a headache. Or perhaps an injury from sports or even a military deployment. Maybe it was a surgery and the prescription pain medication was supposed to be used only for a short time. Eventually, however, the medicine you relied on to heal became the drug that made you sick. Nationwide, around 15 million Americans abuse prescription drugs annually, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Drugs like hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine – which as a category are called opioids – are frequently prescribed by doctors and some are even common in medicine cabinets and on bathroom counters across South Dakota. If they are abused or happen to fall into the wrong hands, they can be fatal. In 2013 alone, the latest year where reliable data is available, 32 South Dakotans died from opioid overdoses. Nationwide, we lose one person to a drug overdose almost every 12 minutes. Earlier this month, I voted to advance a series of bills that combat the opioid epidemic and help heal those suffering most. It was a bipartisan effort that I’m incredibly proud of. One of the bills, which I helped lead on, specifically addressed opioid addiction in mothers who are pregnant or just had their babies. The number of infants born to mothers dependent on drugs nearly quadrupled from 2004 to 2013. In South Dakota, there were more than 200 reported cases of opiate use by new moms between 2009 and 2013, according to a presentation given at SDSU in coordination with the South Dakota Department of Health. The bill I cosponsored improved the support offered for counseling, pediatric health care, prenatal and postpartum health care, and parental training. It also created a pilot program for state substance abuse agencies to figure out ways to bridge the gaps in service for pregnant and postpartum women who are addicted to drugs. In addition to these provisions, I helped pass legislation to get first responders better access to the training and equipment needed for administering new medicines that can reverse opioid overdoses on the spot. This is a goal the South Dakota legislature has been working toward as well, passing legislation in recent years to help give first responders and family members better access to these life-saving antidotes. I’m hopeful our efforts on the federal level can support what’s already being done in the state. Treating only the symptoms will not cure the problem though. Ap- proximately three-fourths of the world’s opioid prescription drugs are prescribed in the U.S. – even though we only comprise about 5 percent of the world’s population. If this legislation becomes law, it would bring together federal agencies, state medical boards, health care professionals, and experts from pain and addiction-recovery communities, challenging them to come up with better practices to manage acute and chronic pain. The Senate has also acted on a bipartisan legislative package to fight opioid addiction. With two strong bills on the table, the House and Senate will be coming together to work out the differences before getting it to the President to sign. There’s momentum on both sides to get this done, so I’m optimistic new provisions will take effect soon. No state – no community – is immune from opioid addictions. Whether in Sioux Falls, Pierre or Pine Ridge, families are struggling with it. But while it is a chronic disease, it doesn’t have to be terminal. I’m hopeful new federal resources will be available soon. Still, to overcome the epidemic, all of us need to play a role. If you or a family member is concerned about the use or abuse of prescription pain medication, please talk to your doctor immediately. Help is out there. If you don’t get the word out about your business, no one else will!!! Commissioner Gill Selected For U.S. Army War College Seminar PIERRE – Commissioner Laurie Gill, head of the Bureau of Human Resources, will spend part of next month joining the national security conversation at the 62nd annual U.S. Army War College National Security Seminar. Gill, who is also the mayor of Pierre, is just one of 160 civilians from across the country hand-selected to participate in the program. During the four-day seminar, Gill will meet with an elite group of military, civilian and international leaders to examine national security issues impacting the nation. In particular, the group will consider the role of domestic politics in national security, globalization, foreign policy and international security issues. Gill was nominated for the program by U.S. Army War College graduate Adjutant General Tim Reisch. He says that Gill is uniquely positioned to contribute to the Security Seminar conversation and inform strategic discussions in South Dakota. “In her dual capacity serving as both mayor of our capital city and Commissioner of the South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources, Laurie plays key roles in our state,” said General Reisch. “She brings very astute local and state government perspectives to the table and is positioned well to share what she learns with other state and local leaders.” The Security Seminar will be held June 6 – 9 at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania – the second oldest military post in the nation. “This is an extreme honor,” said Gill. “I’m thoroughly humbled and very much looking forward to joining the national security conversation.” Gill is Pierre’s 18th mayor and is now in her third term. Prior to being elected mayor, she served as a Pierre city commissioner for nine years. As a part-time mayor, leading the South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources is Gill’s full-time job, which is a cabinet position in Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s administration. Celebrating Biodiversity: Mulberry Bend Overlook Biodiversity Festival Grab your magnifying glass and explore nature at Missouri National Recreational River, like never before! On May 21, national parks across the country, including Missouri National Recreational River, will participate 240 Acres of Clay County Land AT ABSOLUTE Wednesday, June 15th, 9:30 a.m. Sold in 2 tracts – One with 2, Ranch-Style homes! Auction location: Tract 1 OPEN HOUSE: Sunday MAY 22nd 1 -2PM and Wednesday May 25th 6 - 7PM or call the auction company for appointment Tract 1, Located: From Highway 50 & Hwy 19 intersection at Vermillion, SD(Polaris Bldg), 2 miles North, 1/2-mile West, 1/2-mile North. 31421 462nd Avenue, Vermillion, SD. Tract 1 Legal: The E1/2NE1/4 in Sec 34-93-52, Clay County, South Dakota, 79.25 taxable acres. Taxes are $4330.36. The Clay County FSA Office shows 71.25 acres tillable with predominant soil types of WC and WD with a rating of 82-86 and a zero to 2% slope. This farm has 2 residences. House #1 is a 1,774 sq ft ranch style home with attached single car garage. Floor plan consists of entry, kitchen with built in range & oven, family room with bar, 3 bedrooms, full bath, block basement, central air, propane furnace, and hooked to rural water system. House #2 is a ranch style home built in 1966 with 1,070 sq ft. The floor plan consists of entry, kitchen w/ appliances, family room, 3 bedrooms, full bath, full block basement, propane furnace (approx 2 yr old), and an unattached single car garage. Also located on this acreage is a steel 36x68 machine shed built in 1986 with concrete floor, a 30x20 shed, plus a 8000bu grain bin with air floor and stiraetor, plus several outbuildings and bins. This property has a great location just minutes from Vermillion. This is Country Living with the opportunity to rent one of the houses for income or an investment in rental property on both homes. **** Tract 2, Located: From intersection of Hwys 50 & 19 (Polaris Bldg), 2 miles North and 1 ½-mile West on 315th Street, Vermillion, SD. 1/2-mile West of Corner of 315th Street & Bluff Road. Tract 2 Legal: The NE1/4, in Sec 4-92-52, and the West 2 1/2rods of the NW1/4 in Sec 3-92-52, Clay County, South Dakota. 159.63 taxable acres. Taxes are $4,054.14. The Clay County FSA Office show all tillable with predominant soil type Lu – Luton silty clay with a zero to 2% slope. TERMS on both tracts: 10% nonrefundable payment due day of auction, with balance due on closing day of July 15, 2016. Seller will pay 2016 taxes due in 2017. Possession on building site will be given on closing. Possession on farmland will be given when crops are harvested or January 1, 2017. Title insurance and closing costs will be split 50/50 between buyer and seller. Clay County Abstract & Title Co is the closing agent. Craig Thompson, Attorney for the Estate. Auctioneers are acting as agents for the sellers. HOWARD L. BREMER and BLANCHE BREMER – Living Trust- Estate Paul Bremer – Trustee GIRARD AUCTION & LAND BROKERS, INC. (605) 267-2421 Toll Free: 1-866-531-6186 Marv Girard, BA; Ken Girard, CAI, AARE; Mike Girard, CAI, BA; Scott Moore, Auctioneer www.GirardAuction.com in the National Parks BioBlitz. BioBlitz is a fun, fast-paced biological survey of a park’s creepers and crawlers, plants and pollinators, mammals and more! The National Park Service is celebrating its 100th birthday with more than 100 BioBlitzes across the country. At Missouri National Recreational River, we will be celebrating with a Biodiversity Festival on Saturday, May 21 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Mulberry Bend Overlook near Vermillion, South Dakota with hands-on learning and activities for all ages. Kids and adults alike can earn a National Park Service Centennial Junior Ranger Badge by completing educational stations located throughout the Mulberry Bend Overlook property. All activity stations will run for the duration of the event with a scheduled bird hike at 10am and scheduled forest hikes at 11am and 1pm. All events are free and open to the public. To learn more about the National Parks BioBlitz and activities go to: go.nps. gov/2016bioblitz, natgeo.org/ bioblitz or visit our Facebook page! To get to the Mulberry Bend Overlook: take South Dakota Highway 19 south from Vermillion (it becomes Nebraska Highway 15 as soon as you cross the bridge) or Nebraska Highway 15 north toward Vermillion. The overlook is on the east side of the highway in Nebraska overlooking the Missouri River. For more information, contact NPS Biologist Lisa Yager by phone at: 605-6650209 Ext: 24 or by e-mail: Lisa_Yager@nps.gov. Find the Right People Advertise your job openings in the Broadcaster. 201 W Cherry Vermillion 624-4429