Watch Bridge’s Lunch Break on Michigan opioid epidemic
- On Wednesday, experts joined nearly 100 participants to discuss how Michigan can and should spend its $1.5 billion in opioid settlement money
- The funds are designed to help with treatment and prevention of opioid addiction, which has killed thousands of Michigan residents
Bridge Michigan’s monthly Lunch Break series returned Wednesday with a sobering look at the toll of Michigan’s opioid epidemic and a discussion of how the state can use its $1.5 billion in opioid settlement funds most effectively to stem the crisis.
If you missed this live Zoom event, you can stream it below.
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Panelists included Amy Dolinky, technical adviser of opioid settlement funds at the Michigan Association of Counties, Cara Anne Poland, associate professor at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, and Jonathan Stoltman, director of Opioid Policy Institute. Bridge reporters Robin Erb and Ron French moderated the discussion.
The conversation focused on the scale of the opioid crisis in Michigan, how the opioid settlement funding is being split between the state and local municipalities, the timing of dispersing these funds and how decisions are made for how the funds are used, the importance of transparency in how these dollars are spent, how other states are using their funds effectively, and more.
The event followed a Bridge Michigan series about transparency and urgency questions surrounding the settlement, as many local governments have yet to spend hundreds of millions of dollars meant to help users.
The chat in today’s discussion included many helpful resources and thought-provoking questions. To read a full transcript, visit this document.
Watch the recording of the discussion:
The Ethel & James Flinn Foundation, the Michigan Association of Health Plans, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, and Michigan Health Endowment Fund support Bridge Michigan’s health reporting.
Bridge’s Lunch Break monthly series focuses on timely topics facing our state. Previous discussions have included examinations of efforts to educate students for careers in Michigan, solutions to gun violence in Michigan, the long-term impact of pollution from Michigan’s automotive industry, youth mental health in Michigan and ideas for growing the state’s population.
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Our Lunch Break series will resume in March with an event on Michigan’s disappearing winters. We look forward to seeing you at our next event, which will be announced soon.
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