Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has announced an initiative designed to prevent opioid addiction before it begins. The Billion Pill Pledge program, launched in conjunction with Iowa City-based Goldfinch Health, extends education and resources to hospitals and providers in several communities across Iowa. According to a news release, the mission of the Billion Pill Pledge is to reduce leftover opioids after surgery in the United States by one billion pills each year, thereby avoiding those pills being possibly diverted to unauthorized use by others. Miller is using money from a settlement with consultant McKinsey & Co. to support the Billion Pill Pledge program. “The opioid settlements offer a new path forward in preventing future addiction and providing treatment resources to those who need it,” Miller said. “It’s our goal with this program to extend support to rural communities and, especially, to those within these communities who are at risk or who have already been harmed by the opioid epidemic.” The first phase of the Billion Pill Pledge program targets 10 hospitals serving rural communities across the state, which will be announced in coming weeks. For more information about the Billion Pill Pledge program, contact Meredith Allan at meredith.allan@goldfinchhealth.com.