A prevention program launched more than a year ago to reduce opioid prescriptions for patients leaving the hospital has seen early success in the state, according to Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. The "Billion Pill Pledge" is an initiative touted by Bird that aims to prevent opioid misuse and overdoses by reducing patients' reliance on the medications for pain relief after surgeries. The Attorney General's Office contracted with Goldfinch Health, an Iowa City-based consulting firm, to launch the program to cut down on the estimated 10 million leftover opioid pills a year in Iowa, Bird said. First launched in 2022 by Bird's predecessor, Attorney General Tom Miller, the program uses $1.2 million of settlement funds Iowa received from the massive lawsuits with drug manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies that took place in the wake of the opioid overdose epidemic. The program has been launched in 15 hospitals across Iowa, including Broadlawns Medical Center. So far, it has yield...