Emma Biegacki, MPH (she/her)

"This study puts two seemingly distinct public health crises —the overdose crisis and the climate crisis—in conversation. Recognizing that extreme weather can compound the risks of drug-related overdose is an important step towards effective public health efforts."

CT's opioid settlement is for saving lives, not balancing books Gov. Ned Lamont will be tempted to move funds from the hard-won opioid settlements to fill the gaps. This temptation should be resisted.

In Connecticut, and across the country, the crunch on states and cities from disappearing federal funds will have them eyeing hard-won Opioid Settlement dollars to fill in gaps. We need to keep our policymakers honest to keep this from happening. @yaleadm.bsky.social ctmirror.org/2025/08/12/c...

Per a new study from Richardson et al, "ability to evade interventions is enabling the number of fraudulent publications to grow at a rate far outpacing that of legitimate science."
www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

Sotomayor issues a blistering dissent that states plainly that this decision renders constitutional protections meaningless.

The budget bill, if passed, will so devastate Medicaid that >300 rural hospitals are expected to close as a result. Here's a list of those most vulnerable (scroll past letter). Check to see if one near you is at risk + call your Senator to ask them to vote NO.

www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

Legal Action Center | Responding to Immigration Enforcement: A Guide… This guide discusses legal and practical privacy protections for patients, clients, and participants at substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs and some harm reduction programs covered by spec...

Responding to Immigration Enforcement - LAC guide discusses privacy protections for patients, clients, & participants at SUD treatment programs + some harm reduction programs covered by special federal privacy laws for addiction treatment records.

www.lac.org/resource/res...

The cover story for the January / February 2025 issue of Texas Observer magazine shows a fentanyl test strip against a plain black background, with the headline: This strip of paper can prevent an overdose. It’s illegal in Texas by Jason Buch. Other stories include Trump’s Texas Roadshow by Justin Miller and The Frontera Fabulist by Francesca D’Annunzio.

Recap: The deadly cost of banning fenantyl test strips. Propaganda maker at the border. Trump's favorite Texas oligrachs. One of Cecile Richards' final interviews. And more in our January/February 2024 issue. www.texasobserver.org/issues/janua...

CDC Posts, Then Deletes, Data on Bird Flu Transmission Between Cats and People (Gift Article) The data, which appeared fleetingly online on Wednesday, confirmed transmission in two households. Scientists called on the agency to release the full report.

SCOOP: Cats that became infected with bird flu might have spread the virus to humans in the same household and vice versa, according to data that briefly appeared online in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but then abruptly vanished.

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/h...

VIEWPOINTS | These invisible victims include the homeless, people with serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder, and those with substance use issues. ow.ly/JPas50USpAq

Dozens of People Died in Arizona Sober Living Homes as State Officials Fumbled Medicaid Fraud Response Arizona officials acknowledged that a fraud scheme targeting Indigenous people with addictions cost taxpayers $2.5 billion. But they haven’t accounted publicly for the number of deaths tied to the sch...

At least 40 Native American residents of sober living homes and treatment facilities in the Phoenix area died as state Medicaid officials struggled to respond to a massive fraud scheme that targeted Indigenous people with substance use disorders.
www.propublica.org/article/ariz...

Sacklers reach new $7.4 billion settlement over opioid crisis Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family that own the company have agreed to a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with 15 states over its role in the opioid crisis.

Breaking news: Purdue Pharma has agreed in principle to a new $7.4 billion settlement that doesn't grant Sackler family members immunity from future lawsuits

Please use this tool 👇 to see the economic impact of the NIH on your state, and use that info to contact your elected representatives.

Money talks. Jobs talk. Make it clear what we lose when we lose NIH functions.

To put funds directly on the books of incarcerated folks on the front lines of the LA fires:

bit.ly/fund-jpay

Some instructions, abolition reading, and ways to put funds directly on the books of incarcerated folks that are on the front lines of the LA fires.

Monopoly Tycoons in a Game of Jenga: The Censorship of Bodies, Protest, and Speech at UT-Austin Faculty and students are experiencing profound disruption and distress, which starkly contrasts with the arrogant posture and detached demeanor of those perpetrating this harm.

Once again -

To those who accused me of lying about the anti-DEI language crackdowns at UT-Austin, I hope you have a terrible year.

But more so, I hope you read this, learn what’s happening to us, and are able to stop it from coming to your university.
www.texasobserver.org/censorship-u...

Climate Change Jeopardizes HIV Care in the U.S. Policymakers and public health officials need to take steps to integrate climate resilience in HIV/AIDS health care programs to mitigate the disproportionate impact that extreme weather events have on...

"While extreme weather events have broad negative health impacts, those with chronic health conditions, such as HIV, are particularly vulnerable during and following these disasters."

www.americanprogress.org/article/clim...

Opinion | Why Drug Overdose Deaths Are Dropping for Some, Rising for Others Drug overdose deaths are finally declining. But it’s going to take work to keep this trend going.

more harm, less harm reduction: why the fall in overdose deaths is not being seen in Black, Brown and American Indian communities, my latest www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/o... special thanks to @rnbluthenthal.bsky.social @nabarund.bsky.social & Jon Zibbell & Dan Ciccarone

Another great resource from @kff.org in collaboration with Shatterproof & @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social to track use of Opioid Settlement Funds. Notable that CT (unlike our neighbors CT & NY) is *not* getting money out the door. Hopefully we can work on improving the efficiency of our process.