Iowa legislators didn’t spend their opioid settlement money this session, so Gov. Kim Reynolds is using leftover federal pandemic money to address the addiction and overdose crisis instead. buff.ly/4bCekqC

First drop in overdose deaths in 6 years, U.S. preliminary data shows -- via @reuters buff.ly/3V3TgnI

And now the full segment is available on Youtube! Check it out: youtube.com/watch?v=Io0yuH…

'Rhode Island is using a new smartphone app to help people stay off drugs. But is it reaching those most in need?' @lynnarditi goes in depth on opioid settlement funds being used for contingency management via The Public's Radio 89.3FM
buff.ly/44KgN02

NEW: Tribal nations are set to receive more than $1.5 billion in opioid settlement payments over 15 years. The money has a unique provision: It may be used for traditional healing practices, like sweat lodges.

Aneri Pattani & Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez report. ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article/t…

You should watch every minute of the latest Last Week Tonight, which draws heavily from Aneri Pattani's tremendous coverage of the opioid settlements, but in the meantime ...

youtube.com/watch?v=RiVvyV…

Amazing to see Last Week Tonight with John Oliver feature the opioid settlements in its most recent episode — including several of the articles I've written for @kffhealthnews!

Local govts in Maine are not required to report how they spend opioid settlement funds. But Emily K. Bader did the work of asking them all and uncovering the info for the public. Via The Maine Monitor

themainemonitor.org/opioid-settlem…

Compelling reporting by Bram Sable-Smith & PeggyLowe made me feel like I was getting to see a day in the forever-changed lives of three people shot at the Super Bowl parade. Via KFF Health News KCUR

kffhealthnews.org/news/article/t…

If you - like me - weren't able to tune into the PA opioid trust's meeting on settlement funds today, this thread by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA gives an awesome recap!

New report from Yale School of Medicine & Yale School of Public Health with recommendations on how CT should spend its opioid settlement money. Appendix A & B caught my eye. They list specific programs the state should & should not invest in -- don't often see that level of detail. buff.ly/3QnDhhm

The problem with accessing methadone in CT: Getting there

'Some people who are in the initial phases of treatment could spend three to four hours per day on a bus just to receive their medication,' reports Andrew Brown for @ctmirror
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California Is Investing $500M in Therapy Apps for Youth. Advocates Fear It Won’t Pay Off. via Molly Work @kffhealthnews buff.ly/3y3aTuv

A Kansas board that allocates opioid settlement funds paused its work after state lawmakers circumvented the process & awarded $ on their own, including $200k to an 'enthusiastic sobriety' group alleged to have cult-like behavior, reports @bykyliecameron buff.ly/44mx9vB

Want to know how Tennessee is distributing $80 million in opioid settlement funds? Listen to this great conversation I had with Catherine Sweeney of @wpln that will catch you up on the main takeaways. buff.ly/49MeU3S

So incredibly honored to be on this list with people whose reporting has deeply informed, inspired, and impressed me!

Another great example: Madelyn Beck at WyoFile reports on opioid settlement funds in Wyoming, many unspent and some used on things like $5k worth of fentanyl-resistant gloves - which she explains are not necessary b/c touching fentanyl isn't dangerous. wyofile.com/more-than-90-o…

She used our @kffhealthnews database as a first step to discover how much opioid settlement $ IL received so far. Then she followed with classic journalism: call the right people & ask tough Qs.

Wanna do the same in your community? Here's the database: kffhealthnews.org/news/article/o…

Great reporting by Olivia Olander Chicago Tribune on how opioid settlement money is slow to get out the door and into the community in Illinois -- a concern echoed in many other states too. buff.ly/4dngsV9

Rural Jails Turn to Community Health Workers To Help the Newly Released Succeed via @kffhealthnews -- and some are paid with #opioidsettlementfunds buff.ly/44c70iZ