Frank Bellanger and his wife, Stephanie Bellanger, who run Starfish Recovery in downtown Richmand, expressed his concerns with the opioid settlement.
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Opioids rocked households and seized people of all walks of life. Kim Humphrey, a commander with the Phoenix Police Department at the time, thought he had it all."A marriage, a home, a wonderful life raising two sons," he said. "It was really good."But a call about his 15-year-old son ignited distress that would span nearly a decade:"'My daughter goes to school with your son and she's very concerned that he's going to overdose,'" he continued. A drug test confirmed their fear it came back positive for opioids. The struggle spiraled and extended its grip to their second son."As a parent, we're looking at this and saying, 'We must be the worst parents on the planet,'" Humphrey said. SEE MORE: U.S. Opioid Lawsuits On Verge Of Settlements With 4 CompaniesIt took Humphrey and his wife years to find a nonprofit support group called Parents of Addicted Loved Ones, also known as PAL, which he now leads."That was the first time that we were sitting in a room full of people who understood," Humphrey continued.The opioid crisis contributed to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. in two decades. At the epicenter three major pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. A yearslong multistate lawsuit led to a historic $26 billion settlement over the next 18 years. Now, some of that money is starting to come in. This year, by the end of August, 27 of nearly 50 states that filed lawsuits had received a total of $310 million. Of that, Arizona received $16 million of their more than $540 million settlement money Humphrey hopes will trickle down to PAL, which is in dire need of financial assistance following the pandemic."What we do is this peer-to-peer support that has plenty of research behind it that it works. And it did for us," Humphrey said.Each state and county has a say in how the money is spent. In Wisconsin, a spending dispute temporarily blocked funds from distribution. SEE MORE: Researchers Developing Implant To Fight Alcohol, Opioid AddictionSara Whaley, a research associate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says the school put together five planning principles to help guide states on spending."This is the opportunity to kind of look at what you're doing and where you're investing money, and if there are any gaps," she said. "One, is to spend the money to save lives. Two, is to use evidence to guide spending. Three, invest in youth prevention. Four, focus on racial equity. And five, create a fair and transparent process."She adds that the settlement includes basic payout guidelines."They are things like broadening access to naloxone or increasing the use of medications to treat opioid use disorder, enriching prevention strategies, improving treatment in jail," Whaley said.It's treatment desperately needed as fentanyl fuels deaths and overdoses, with a holistic and smart spending approach.Humphrey hopes families can find the peace his has now reached. Both his sons are now clean.
PHOTOS: Recognize this? 31 photos from the Times-Dispatch archives
In April 1947, Ed Brooking, the 68-year-old proprietor of the Cedar Point Grist Mill in Goochland County, loaded corn into a funnel to be ground by the millstones. While his machine was old and often required maintenance, Brooking swore by the method of stone-ground corn.
In April 1962, organizers of the 31st annual Virginia duckpin bowling tournament waited for scores to be posted at the Willow Bowl, a bowling alley in the Willow Lawn Shopping Center in Henrico County. Charles Rao (center) was tournament director; he was flanked by assistant Bob Winston and Connie Thrift, the first local woman to fire a 200-plus game.
In January 1961, H.W. DeMille, manager of the Richmond office of Hardware Mutual Sentry Life Insurance Group, demonstrated the “Data-Phone” used by his company. The new Bell System service allowed business machines to communicate quickly over phone lines. For the insurance company, that meant faster processing of information between headquarters and branch offices.
In May 1976, a line wrapped around and beyond the Richmond Coliseum as tickets went on sale for an Elvis Presley concert — about 3,000 people were waiting when ticket windows opened at 10 a.m. His sold-out show in June was his final appearance in Richmond; he died in August 1977.
In July 1961, Gordon Burks, an electrician for Union Electric Co. Inc., used a new machine to saw out segments of sidewalk in downtown Richmond, where the company was replacing traffic lights. The saw blade, which was studded in industrial diamonds, cost $185 (about $1,500 in inflation-adjusted pricing in 2016).
In February 1977, former California Gov. Ronald Reagan greeted young admirers during a visit to Richmond. His 66th birthday coincided with his appearance at a reception for Del. Wyatt B. Durrette Jr. (next to Reagan), who was seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general.
In June 1951, the summer heat sent crowds to Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County for a swim. Earlier that month, the state’s nine parks welcomed more than 77,000 visitors during their unofficial opening week for the season.
In December 1963, a milkman delivered informational pamphlets about polio in addition to milk. In the 1930s, economic pressures caused dairy farmers to begin the Milk Wars, in which they would withhold product to try to drive up the value of milk.
In November 1961, William Radvany, the meat manager at Capitol Food Market on East Marshall Street in downtown Richmond, demonstrated a new $12,000 machine that aimed to save the butcher a lot of work: It wrapped, weighed, labeled and priced meats.
In July 1962, workers at a Lancaster County plant inspected crabmeat during a demonstration of a new picking machine, which promised to triple production. The machine was developed by a crabmeat packer in Oriental, N.C.
This September 1965 image shows the Enchanted Garden at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond. Just a few blocks from the writer’s first Richmond home, the museum contains an extensive collection of Poe manuscripts, memorabilia and more.
In October 1974, J.G. Adams, the Southern regional distributor manager for Litton Microwave Ranges, demonstrated microwave cooking and touted its benefits during a program at the Miller & Rhoads department store in downtown Richmond. He prepared several dishes — and assured people with shielded heart pacemakers that microwaves posed no danger.
This February 1952 photo shows Muddy Creek Mill in Cumberland County. The water-powered mill dated to the late 1700s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In June 1961, cartons of homogenized milk were stored in a cooling room at Richmond Dairy Co. before being delivered to homes and stores. The company was located in Jackson Ward; the plant, with its unique milk bottle façade, is now an apartment building.
In December 1962, a new sign designated the Thalhimers department store in downtown Richmond as a fallout shelter. Sections of the store had been approved to house up to 8,700 people in case of a disaster, and the store was stocked with a two-week supply of food and water, plus medical and radiation measuring equipment. From left are naval engineer D.R. Dorsey, store President William B. Thalhimer Jr. and city safety director William L. Groth.
In December 1941, Mrs. Frank Sloan of the Red Cross took dictation from soldier Robert Parks in the convalescent ward at the Camp Lee Hospital in Prince George County. She was among two dozen women from the Richmond and Tri-Cities areas who had just become Gray Ladies, a hospital volunteer branch of the Red Cross.
In January 1958, Judy Moss, a Hermitage High School freshman, took a spin on roller skates as she practiced her routine at the Arena, a roller-skating rink at Boulevard and Hermitage Road. At the time, Judy was one of the most promising skaters in the Richmond area and was working to master some of the most difficult tasks of the rink.
In February 1965, David Gruver (from left) of the Shenandoah Sky Divers Club landed in Louisa County to hand over pine seedlings to soil conservationist Russell Fisher, Smokey Bear and property owner George Bagby. The club flew about 2,000 seedlings from Waynesboro as part of a watershed development and forestation effort.
In January 1969, Calvin H. Butler, a farmer in Middlesex County on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula, stood by the sign for his new Bush Park Campground on waterfront property he inherited from his father. Butler cleared space in the heavily wooded area for 300 campsites, and his operation offered a range of amenities.
In July 1968, Mrs. Robert T. Oliver operated a machine that graded, cleaned and packaged eggs at Oliver Egg Farm in Nottoway County. She was demonstrating the machine as part of a farm and industry county tour sponsored by Fidelity National Bank of Blackstone. About 100 local businessmen and farmers attended.
In May 1978, Wayne Corpening, a two-time regional wrestling champion from Highland Springs High School in Henrico County, announced that he would join the University of Virginia wrestling team. He had compiled a record of 80-18-1 during his Springers career.
In August 1969, “Dinks” Thornton (from left), W.E. Nichols and a gloved Sewell Thornton were in Chincoteague preparing for the next day’s National Hard Crab Derby in Crisfield, Md. The men were betting on their prized Creeper X (center), a direct descendant of a line that had given Virginia many wins at past races. The side-stepping speedster and its alternate had been in training for a month.
In October 1985, the Richmond band the Snake-Handlers were booked for a Halloween performance at Rockitz , located Laurel and West Broad streets. The band posed in their “monster room,” which was covered in monster movie memorabilia dating back to the 1960s. Band members were John Cecka (front), Jim Thomson (left), Jeanne Freeman (center), Ron Curry (kneeling) and Tim Harriss (right).
In February 1965, Richmonder John Smook, his wife — and their six children “upstairs” — piled into the family camper for an outdoor adventure. Smook, who also sold the pickup truck campers, said they offered the conveniences of home and protection from the elements while in the wilderness.
