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In Pennsylvania, most opioid settlement money will go to counties where local officials can decide how to spend the funds, although an oversight board has the power to withhold and ultimately cut funding if it determines counties spend inappropriately. Officials in Lancaster County proposed spending $275,000 per year in settlement money on the county’s drug task force, but the plans are now unclear.

Pa. counties face uncertainty as they grapple with how to spend opioid settlement funds

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Rep. Mike Schlossberg (D., Lehigh) inside the Pennsylvania Capitol in 2022.

Democrats say stalled Pa. budget leaves behind adult mental health patients

by DaniRae Renno for Spotlight PA

Tom VanKirk, left, is chair of the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust. He's said the trust intends “to be as transparent as possible.” But he defended holding meetings in secret and barring the public from speaking at meetings. (Screenshot from a video of the board's May 18, 2023, meeting.)

Secret meetings by board overseeing Pa.’s $1 billion in opioid settlements draw criticism

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA and Kate Giammarise of WESA

Opioid settlement documents describe a list of approved and recommended opioid remediation uses, including medication, such as Narcan, that can reverse opioid overdoses.

Pa. opioid settlement money: What you need to know

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA and Kate Giammarise of WESA

Pa. Governor Josh Shapiro's budget proposal includes more money for public health agencies, reducing maternal mortality.

Three ways Shapiro’s budget would change public health in Pennsylvania

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Guardians are people appointed by a court to take over decision-making about the health or financial affairs — often both — of an adult who has lost the ability to make sound decisions about their life.

An older Pa. woman was placed under guardianship. Her family says the system betrayed her.

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Opioid overdoses kill thousands of people each year in Pennsylvania, and settlement money is meant to help the state respond to the epidemic.

Expecting more than $1 billion in opioid settlement money, Pa. grapples with policing versus treatment

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA and Kate Giammarise of WESA

People on Medicaid must renew coverage this year after the re-enrollment process had been paused for several years.

Pa. Medicaid reenrollment: What you need to know to keep your health insurance or find other options

by Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA

Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pennsylvania.

How much north-central Pennsylvania nonprofit hospital executives are paid

by Ashad Hajela of Spotlight PA State College

The Department of Human Services building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Pa. faces a shortage of benefits workers as health coverage for thousands is on the line

by Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA

Pottstown Hospital, formerly Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, is owned by Tower Health.

A Pa. hospital’s revoked property tax exemption is a ‘warning shot’ to other nonprofits, expert says

by Ashad Hajela of Spotlight PA State College

Cassie Hill relies both on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Shapiro admin can do more as rollbacks to food and health benefits loom in Pa., experts say

by Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA

The PA legislature is considering everything from expanding who can get medical marijuana to full legalization.

5 ways Pa.’s marijuana laws could change in 2023

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

A Spotlight PA analysis of 1 million medical marijuana certifications reveals how a change by policymakers made it possible for virtually anyone to get a card.

How anxiety came to dominate the big business of medical marijuana cards in Pennsylvania

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania patients receive approval from a doctor to get a medical marijuana card.

Rare disciplinary case against Pa. doctor offers glimpse into the big business of medical marijuana cards

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Because of legal restrictions and financial hurdles, Pennsylvania abortion providers plan to expand access to medication abortions and telehealth rather than open new clinics.

Abortion providers focus on expanding telehealth, medication access as they await outcome of Pa. governor’s race

by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA

In lawsuits, medical marijuana patients said they were denied or fired from a variety of jobs: forklift operator, welder, medical assistant, construction worker, emergency medical technician, and customer service representative.

How we tracked workplace lawsuits involving Pa.’s medical marijuana law

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

The bill has the backing of over 70 condition-specific organizations, including those representing diabetes, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis patients, among other chronic ailments.

Chronically ill patients could get easier access to new treatments if Pa. lawmakers act soon

by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

Despite Pennsylvania’s outlier status and the high stakes for people seeking treatment, state regulators do little to ensure cannabis dispensaries are making accurate medical claims.

A complete guide to Spotlight PA’s investigations of Pennsylvania’s flawed medical marijuana program

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

A Pennsylvania medical marijuana card doesn't necessarily protect workers from facing demotion or firing at work.

Pa. law protects workers who are approved for medical marijuana — but once they use it, it’s a different story.

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Gov. Tom Wolf, flanked by advocates for nursing home operators and workers, in July celebrated the $600 million investment in long-term care facilities.

Thousands of Pa. nursing home workers may strike despite $600M for care in state budget

by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

Medical malpractice lawsuits in Pennsylvania can be filed in any county, not just where harm occurred, beginning in 2023, according to a new rule by the state Supreme Court.

Major shift in medical malpractice rules in Pa. could help victims, but opponents fear the cost

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

The federal government has allocated nearly 18,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine to Pennsylvania and another 8,390 to Philadelphia specifically, according to federal data.

Wolf administration explores using federal aid to help stretch Pa.’s limited monkeypox vaccine supply

by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

Costly regulations and smaller populations relative to urban areas have prevented any abortion providers from opening in north-central Pennsylvania since one in State College closed after a series of scandals.

Why people in State College and rural north-central Pa. don’t have easy access to in-person abortion services

by Ashad Hajela of Spotlight PA State College

The court’s decision could potentially help other members of the public who request information.

Commonwealth Court orders Pa.’s health department to release information on medical marijuana program

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

“The Republican-led General Assembly continues to take extraordinary steps to dismantle access to abortion and implement a radical agenda,” Wolf said in a statement Thursday announcing the lawsuit.

Wolf sues GOP-led legislature to block abortion, voter ID questions from reaching Pa. ballot box

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

The Justice Department sued the Pennsylvania court system in February, alleging that it discriminated against people with opioid use disorder.

Pa. court system says it’s not responsible for county judges banning opioid addiction medication

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Republicans in the upper chamber successfully moved to add abortion language to the package Thursday as lawmakers worked to pass an already late budget.

Pennsylvania legislature seeks to declare state constitution provides no right to an abortion

by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

Ashad Hajela

Meet Ashad Hajela, rural affairs reporter for Spotlight PA State College

by Ashad Hajela of Spotlight PA State College

Residents of Walnut Grove Estates in Benner Township, Centre County, want to know why it took more than two years to test their wells after harmful chemicals were found in a well at a nearby airport controlled by Penn State University.

Pa. waited more than 2 years to test wells after finding nearby contamination. Now this neighborhood wants answers.

by Adam Smeltz for Spotlight PA State College

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