Season 13 • Episode 1039

1039 - Spending Down Billions in Opioid Settlement Money: The Debatable, The Inventive, and The Innovative

Apr 21, 2026

18:31

Addiction & Recovery Public Health Health Policy Opioid Crisis

Episode Description

About this episode:

A collaboration between the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, KFF Health News, and Shatterproof is tracking how communities across the country are spending opioid settlement funds. In this episode: Abigail Winiker of the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative details the good, bad, and the ugly of the expenditures the team has tracked, from EMS-delivered harm reduction methods to punitive law enforcement investments to... D.A.R.E magicians?

Guest:

Abigail Winiker, PhD, MSPH, is an assistant scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the program director of the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative.

Host:

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

Six Innovations in Settlement Fund Spending—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Innovations in Opioid Settlement Fund Spending | CMAP Nexus Series—Health Policy and Management – BSPH via YouTube
From Narcan to Gun Silencers, Opioid Settlement Cash Pays Law Enforcement Tabs—KFF Health News
Edgecombe County honored for its innovative approach to opioid crisis—Rocky Mount Telegram

Transcript information:

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