Opioids

The vending machines in Deland and Ormond Beach provide round-the-clock access to the spray version of naloxone, which is used to treat opioid overdoses.

COVID relief is drying up and DOGE has thrown into question once-reliable federal funding, leaving many states hunting for alternatives to maintain crucial services. Opioid settlement money can seem like an attractive option.

A decision about how to spend settlement funds in Carter County, Kentucky, which was hit hard by the opioid epidemic, offers a window into the choices that surround this windfall.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay launched a free weeklong program that medically assists overdose patients while they detox and transition towards consultation at a substance use clinic.

The money will pay for efforts to prevent and treat opioid addiction, or fund services that help people in recovery.

The deal represents an increase over a previous settlement rejected by the Supreme Court because it protected members of the wealthy Sackler family from civil lawsuits even though they were not in bankruptcy.

There were about 97,000 overdose deaths in year that ended June 30, according to provisional CDC data. That's a 14% decrease from the previous 12-month period.

Settlement from the opioid distributors will cover $7.7 million a year toward "‘person-centered, recovery-oriented care."

Attorney General Ashley Moody wants the high court to decide whether hospital districts and school boards should be able to pursue opioid lawsuits after she reached settlements with the pharmaceutical industry.

Nationwide overdose deaths have declined. That's according to NPR. But, how is Florida faring in the opioid crisis? WUFT’s Sofia Zarran has more.