Align Appalachia’s Opioid-Settlement Spending with Evidence and Emerging Threats

Authors

Bradley Firchow, University of KentuckyFollow

Corresponding Author

Bradley A. Firchow: bradley.firchow@uky.edu

Author Affiliations

Bradley A. Firchow, MD Candidate: Medical student, Rural Physician Leadership Program, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky (Morehead KY); E-mail: bradley.firchow@uky.edu; ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5770-7203

Author Area of Expertise

Community Health; Local Health Department Accreditation; Rural Health

Abstract

State and local governments across Appalachia are allocating opioid-settlement dollars over the coming years. This funding opportunity can support lasting public health infrastructure or be spent on short-term programs anchored in the opioid crisis of the past. Evidence indicates that emerging synthetic drugs such as nitazenes and xylazine are altering overdose risk patterns in ways that require urgent policy attention.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0703.01

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Firchow BA. Align Appalachia’s opioid-settlement spending with evidence and emerging threats. J Appalach Health 2025;7(2/3):1-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0703.01