Reporter @KHNews, covering mental health, substance use, adolescent/college health & more. Dessert lover & permanent dance student. Send tips: anerip@kff.org
Dec 4, 2023 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
🧵I was outside #SCOTUS this morning. Here’s a short #thread on what people had to say, while the justices heard the #Purdue Pharma case inside. #Sackler #opioids #opioidcrisis
2/ Quick bg on the case: Purdue Pharma has filed for bankruptcy. As part of that, the Sackler family, which owned the company for years, agreed to pay $6 billion in settlements to govts & individuals harmed by the crisis. In exchange, they want immunity from future lawsuits.
Mar 31, 2023 • 11 tweets • 6 min read
As promised, here’s a dive into one state which has few requirements to publicly report how #opioid settlement funds are spent—and issues are already arising: Michigan. #THREAD
2/ Last summer, the Michigan legislature allotted $39M of settlement cash to the state health dept. For the next six months, there was almost no public info on how it would be used. No news releases. No invitation to apply for grants. "It was a black hole," said @opioidpolicy.
Mar 30, 2023 • 17 tweets • 17 min read
🧵State & local govts are receiving $50B from companies accused of fueling the #opioidcrisis. But how much will they publicly report on its use? Will people in recovery, families & others know how it’s spent? My @khnews investigation with Christine Minhee. khn.org/news/article/o…2/ We scoured thousands of public documents and found only 12 states have promised detailed, public reporting of all their settlement money. That means in most places, it’ll be hard to track where this money goes. (Static pic, click link to see live map) khn.org/news/article/o…
Oct 6, 2022 • 16 tweets • 13 min read
🧵I met Penny Wingard last Dec. At the time, I had no idea what it would mean to follow someone who has medical debt. But I’ve learned a lot since—some of which I’ve shared in this @KHNews/@NPR story & some in this thread. khn.org/news/article/m…@KHNews@NPR 2/ For starters, a quick background on Penny: She’s 58 and lives in Charlotte, NC. She’s survived breast cancer, a brain aneurysm, and transplants on both eyes. She loves hoop earrings and is a music/concert aficionado. I was introduced to her by @rcerese@ncjustice
Nov 8, 2021 • 10 tweets • 10 min read
🧵 #Overdose deaths hit record highs last year. Medications like buprenorphine cut the risk of death in half. But many pharmacies don’t provide it, saying they fear a @DEAHQ investigation -- like what happened to Martin Njoku. My latest for @NPR@KHNewsbuff.ly/3H5FQhK2/ As a pharmacist, Martin Njoku wanted to help those hit by the #opioidepidemic. But a few years after he began providing medications for #addiction, @DEAHQ raided his pharmacy & accused him of furthering the very ailment he set out to treat.
