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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · 12d

Great project from @bakerinstitute.bsky.social tracking how the 21 largest local govts in Texas are spending their opioid settlement money. These localities have no reporting requirements, so researchers are filling a critical gap in public knowledge here. rice1.osn.mghpcc.org/crc-ssl/Opio...

Jurisdiction Funding Report

rice1.osn.mghpcc.org

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · 22d

Mississippi Today opens 'black box' of opioid settlement spending mississippitoday.org/2025/09/15/b...

Mississippi Today opens 'black box' of opioid settlement spending - Mississippi Today

A Mississippi Today investigation found that after nearly three years of state and local governments receiving money, they have reported spending less than $1 million – or less than 1% of the money…

mississippitoday.org

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · 22d

A New England state is battling the largest HIV outbreak in its history. The local factors that shaped it can shed light on what to expect from Trump’s policies on homelessness and drug use. @kffhealthnews.org
kffhealthnews.org/news/article... kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

An HIV Outbreak in Maine Shows the Risk of Trump’s Crackdown on Homelessness and Drug Use - KFF Health News

Public health experts and advocates say the outbreak has been fueled by a confluence of local factors, including the sweeping of a homeless encampment and shuttering of a sterile-syringe program. But…

kffhealthnews.org

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Reposted

Arielle Zionts @ajzionts.bsky.social · 29d

Independent rural hospitals are increasingly joining networks that share resources and bargaining power. The goal is to save money and improve patient care without losing their independence by joining a large health system.

Reporting from Bowman, ND:

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Instead of Selling, Some Rural Hospitals Band Together To Survive - KFF Health News

Independent and rural hospitals are collaborating with their neighbors to shore up their finances instead of joining larger health systems to stay afloat.

kffhealthnews.org

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Sep 8

If you can't join, please consider checking out this free online course I helped create with experts at @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social which offers tangible tips for reporters covering suicide www.coursera.org/learn/respon...

Responsible Reporting on Suicide for Journalists

Offered by Johns Hopkins University. Responsible Reporting on Suicide for Journalists is designed to give working journalists and students ... Enroll for free.

www.coursera.org

aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Sep 8

I'm excited to be a part of the @who.int Africa Region's webinar this Wednesday discussing key solutions any country can implement for #WorldSuicidePreventionDay. I'll be presenting on how media and journalists can play a role. It's free for all. Please join.

Zoom: lnkd.in/gAmTW8aM

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Aug 19

Goliath vs David: UnitedHealth Group's multibillion dollar PBM (Optum Rx) is suing 5 KY counties (one as small as 8,000 residents) to try to force them out of national opioid lawsuits against the company. @kffhealthnews.org @statesnewsroom.com @kentuckylantern.com kentuckylantern.com/2025/08/19/g...

Goliath vs. David: Optum Rx invokes open meetings law to fight Kentucky counties on opioid suits • Kentucky Lantern

UnitedHealth Group’s pharmacy benefit manager, Optum Rx, sues five Kentucky counties to force them out of national opioid litigation against the company.

kentuckylantern.com

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 12

Of course!

aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

12/ Read more of my ongoing (more than 2 years at this point!) coverage of opioid settlement funds for
@kffhealthnews.org: kffhealthnews.org/opioid-settl...

/end

Payback: Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash - KFF Health News

Featured articles Localize the Data If you are a journalist who wants to investigate opioid settlement transparency data for your area, here’s how you can do that. Share Your Settlement Story Do you h...

kffhealthnews.org

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

11/ “I hope this is a wake-up call for state AGs that their work on this project is not done,” said Frank Kearl, who co-led the project. “We still have time” to ensure we “spend this money in a way that actually responds to the harm that was caused.” kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Who’s Policing Opioid Settlement Spending? A Crowdsourced Database Might Help - KFF Health News

Billions in opioid settlement money was meant to be spent on treating and preventing addiction — but what happens if it’s misspent? Some advocates say attorneys general need to pay closer attention. I...

kffhealthnews.org

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

10/ For people who see misuse and want to report it, the crowdsourced database website also shows you how to file complaints with your state AG and ask them to develop a formal process for receiving and investigating such complaints. opioidpolicy.org/osm-accounta...

Opioid Settlement Money Accountability Community Hub - OPI

Opioid Settlement Money Accountability Community Hub - Opioid Policy Institute

opioidpolicy.org

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

9/ Some examples come from recent weeks, like NJ lawmakers giving hospitals $45m in settlement funds to shield them from federal Medicaid cuts. Advocates, who protested with a die-in, said the move betrays people with substance use disorders whom the money was meant to serve.

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

8/ In the absence of AG oversight, researchers and advocates have created a tool to empower the public to track and report potential misuse themselves. It's a crowdsourced database, with over 150 entries already.
opioidpolicy.org/osm-accounta...

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

7/ Torsch wishes the focus wasn’t just on winning more money but also ensuring existing settlement dollars are spent well.

“This is blood money," she said. It can’t make up for the lives lost, but “we do want to make sure that it’s going to count.”

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

6/ @oagmaryland.bsky.social is set to receive $1.5m of Maryland’s opioid settlement funds annually to cover personnel & admin costs related to opioid-related lawsuits. (Meaning suing more companies for future settlements)
mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/L...

Legislation - SB0495

mgaleg.maryland.gov

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

5/ The results were no surprise to Toni Torsch, whose son Dan died of an overdose at age 24. She tried to report misuse to the Maryland AG last year but was told to contact the health dept instead.

She was confused. The AG’s office is supposed to be “the top cops,” she said.

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

4/ Stoltman’s team, along with Frank Kearl and his team at
@popdemoc.bsky.social, surveyed AG offices in 56 states & territories, and found only three mention specific processes for reporting misuse of opioid settlement money online.

Read their full findings here: cryptpad.fr/file/

Encrypted File

CryptPad: end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite

cryptpad.fr

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

3/ “If you’re going to bang your chest about how much money you got for your state for opioids,” said Jonathan Stoltman of the Opioid Policy Institute, “what are you doing to make sure that it’s actually being spent well?”

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

2/ State AGs were the ones who secured and signed the settlement deals, often with a lot of political fanfare. Researchers and advocates say they should now be tracking how that money is used.

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 11

🧵Billions in opioid settlement💰is meant to help curb addiction—but what happens if it’s misspent? Some advocates say state attorneys general should be paying closer attention. Until they do, a crowdsourced database tracking potential misuse could help. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 8

More construction workers die by suicide than die by work-related injuries. A little known federal agency was leading research and programs to address the crisis. Now, most of its staff has been cut. My latest for @kffhealthnews.org & @cbsnews.com.web.brid.gy kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Workplace Mental Health at Risk as Key Federal Agency Faces Cuts - KFF Health News

Efforts to decrease alarmingly high rates of suicide among construction workers and prevent burnout in health care workers are in jeopardy after the firing of hundreds of employees at the National…

kffhealthnews.org

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aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 8

There's very little oversight on how local govts nationwide are spending billions in opioid settlement money. This newly released report from @njcomptroller.bsky.social is a rare exception. The office found the town of Irvington "wasted" $600k+ on "awareness concerts." www.nj.gov/comptroller/...

aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 8

“Workplace mental health is one of the most underappreciated yet critical areas we could intervene on,” said a former NIOSH worker. “We were just starting to get some strong support from all the players involved...This administration has blown that apart.” kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Workplace Mental Health at Risk as Key Federal Agency Faces Cuts - KFF Health News

Efforts to decrease alarmingly high rates of suicide among construction workers and prevent burnout in health care workers are in jeopardy after the firing of hundreds of employees at the National…

kffhealthnews.org

aneripattani.bsky.social @aneripattani.bsky.social · Jul 3

Great reporting out of West Virginia - by great student journalists - about where opioid settlement money is going in a state that's long been considered the epicenter of the opioid and overdose crisis.

100 Days in Appalachia @appalachia100.bsky.social · Jul 1

As millions in opioid settlement funds reach West Virginia, counties are making high-stakes choices about how to spend them.

'The Price of Recovery' series explores the tension between political priorities, financial pressures and community needs.

www.100daysinappalachia.com/the-price-of...

The Price of Recovery — 100 Days in Appalachia

As millions in opioid settlement funds reach West Virginia, counties are making high-stakes choices about how to spend it — revealing the tension between political priorities, financial pressures and ...

www.100daysinappalachia.com

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Reposted

Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · Jun 24

🚨My latest:

I’ve been talking with HIV activists since Trump took office.
Their organizing is rooted in pivotal social movements in America: AIDS to civil rights.

My reporting started in a Black church in the Mississippi Delta. It was the perfect place to begin. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

‘We Need To Keep Fighting’: HIV Activists Organize To Save Lives as Trump Guts Funding - KFF Health News

While Congress fails to stave off cuts to HIV care, community leaders in Mississippi and beyond race to limit the damage.

kffhealthnews.org

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