Dr. Matthew Stanley with the Avera Behavioral Health Center in Sioux Falls is concerned about opioid overdoses.

“We have had I think around 176 overdose deaths associated with Opioids over the last several years. One death is significant. 176 is very significant. We are not as overwhelmed as some areas of the country. But it is a very real problem here in South Dakota.

Dr. Stanley offers this suggestion if you keep opioids in your residence.

“Even if you don’t use Opioids very often after getting a prescription for some kind of acute painful event---you may take a few and put the rest in your medicine box and forget about them. Well that is still the number one avenue for youth to get the Opioids.”

Dr. Stanley, along with other health care professionals and law enforcement officials, participated in a seminar on Wednesday titled “The Opiod Epidemic: A Wicked Problem of the Worst Kind.”

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