Tag:

Opioid Abuse

Ridgefield
Business
Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy Amid Drop In Sales, Opioid Lawsuits Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy Amid Drop In Sales, Opioid Lawsuits
Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy Amid Drop In Sales, Opioid Lawsuits One of the country’s largest pharmacy chains has just filed for bankruptcy. The move by Rite Aid comes amid declining sales and a rise in debt, which hit $3.3 billion, according to midyear filings.  The company said in an announcement on Sunday, Oct. 15 that in connection with the filing, it has received a commitment for $3.45 billion in new financing from some of its lenders.  "This financing is expected to provide sufficient liquidity to support the company throughout this process," Rite Aid said. Rite Aid is one of a number of drugstore chains facing litigation related to the…

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by Joe Lombardi
Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes
News
Feds: Bergen Pill Mill Doc Who Called Himself 'El Chapo Of Opioids' Gets 6 Years, No Parole Feds: Bergen Pill Mill Doc Who Called Himself 'El Chapo Of Opioids' Gets 6 Years, No Parole
Feds: Bergen Pill Mill Doc Who Called Himself 'El Chapo Of Opioids' Gets 6 Years, No Parole A Bergen County doctor who called himself the “El Chapo of Opioids” was sentenced to six years in federal prison for doling out pain killers like candy and fudging medical records to cover it up. Robert Delagente, 48, of Oakland, must serve out the entire plea-bargained sentence approved by a federal judge in Newark on Thursday, May 5, because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Delagente, who’d practiced at North Jersey Family Medicine on Yawpo Avenue in Oakland, randomly wrote prescriptions for oxycodone, Percocet and more with no questions asked, then tried to cover his track…

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by Jerry DeMarco
South Passaic
News
Clifton Ortho Doc Who State Said Freely Doled Out Opioids Permanently Barred From Practice Clifton Ortho Doc Who State Said Freely Doled Out Opioids Permanently Barred From Practice
Clifton Ortho Doc Who State Said Freely Doled Out Opioids Permanently Barred From Practice UPDATE: A Clifton orthopedic surgeon who prescribed addictive opioid painkillers to patients who abused, sold or otherwise didn't need them was permanently barred from practicing medicine or prescribing drugs in New Jersey, state authorities announced Monday. Evangelos Megariotis – who owned and operated Clifton Orthopedic Associates -- told one patient that "anything that drugs can do on the street, my medications will do better and safer,” state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. "Just call me,” Grewal quoted him as saying. Megariotis also treated patient complaints of hypertension…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Essex NJ
News
Oxy Doc Who Traded Drugs For Sex From NJ Patients Sent To Federal Prison Oxy Doc Who Traded Drugs For Sex From NJ Patients Sent To Federal Prison
Oxy Doc Who Traded Drugs For Sex From NJ Patients Sent To Federal Prison UPDATE: A doctor who admitted keeping patients from New Jersey hooked by trading opioids for sex was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison. Joseph Santiamo, 65, of Staten Island must serve just about all of the 57-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Santiamo, who saw several patients from New Jersey, previously admitted “knowingly prescribed dangerous quantities of oxycodone – and, even more egregiously, solicited sexual favors from certain patients” in exchange for writing them additional opioid scripts, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig sa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Monmouth
News
Trenton Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl That Killed Monmouth Woman Trenton Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl That Killed Monmouth Woman
Trenton Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl That Killed Monmouth Woman A Trenton man admitted selling fentanyl packaged to look like heroin that killed a Monmouth County woman. The 39-year-old victim bought the fatal dose – in a package stabbed “CAMEL” – from Quasaan Bethea, 33, and others in May 2018, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Englishtown police responded soon after to a report of an overdose death and found several folds of “CAMEL” along with some empties, Honig said. An autopsy found that she died of “acute fentanyl toxicity,” the U.S. attorney said. Rather than go to trial, Bethea pleaded guilty in federal court in Trenton to possession…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Bucks
Police & Fire
Philadelphia 'Pill Mill' Doc Who Exchanged Opioids For Sex Gets 5 Years Philadelphia 'Pill Mill' Doc Who Exchanged Opioids For Sex Gets 5 Years
Philadelphia 'Pill Mill' Doc Who Exchanged Opioids For Sex Gets 5 Years An 80-year-old Philadelphia doctor was sentenced to five years behind bars for illegally distributing opioids to patients for cash, and often in exchange for sex, authorities announced. Myron Rodos, of Ambler, pleaded guilty in November 2019, admitting that he illegally gave an additional 6,130 oxycodone (30 mg) pills and 3,670 methadone (10 mg) pills to patients in exchange for sex and money at his North Philadelphia "pill mill," Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said. The charges resulted from a lengthy FBI investigation that produced audio and video recording…

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by Nicole Acosta
Paramus
Police & Fire
Feds: Northeast Opioid 'Pill Mill' Takedown Nets Paramus Pharmacy Owner, Clifton Surgeon Feds: Northeast Opioid 'Pill Mill' Takedown Nets Paramus Pharmacy Owner, Clifton Surgeon
Feds: Northeast Opioid 'Pill Mill' Takedown Nets Paramus Pharmacy Owner, Clifton Surgeon The arrests of a Paramus pharmacy owner and a Clifton orthopedic surgeon earlier this month by federal agents were part of a massive crackdown involving the distribution of over 3.25 million opioid doses in “pill mill” clinics and doctors’ offices throughout the Northeast, the Justice Department said Thursday. A total of 54 defendants – 15 of them doctors -- have been charged for their roles in submitting nearly $800 million in bogus health insurance claims, the Justice Department said. Others include marketing executives, pharmacists, and the owners and operators of a genetic testing labor…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fairfield
Police & Fire
Police Warn Of Opioid Use After Eight Overdoses With Five Deaths In Past Week In Norwalk Police Warn Of Opioid Use After Eight Overdoses With Five Deaths In Past Week In Norwalk
Police Warn Of Opioid Use After Eight Overdoses With Five Deaths In Past Week In Norwalk With multiple overdoses in the past week that have resulted in five deaths, Norwalk Police are reminding the public about the dangers of opioid abuse. According to Norwalk Police, since Wednesday, August 28, the department responded to eight overdose emergencies, including the five fatalities, said Norwalk Police Lt. Terrence Blake. Norwalk detectives are investigating these incidents, but at the same time, Blake said they wanted to remind users of the dangers of opioids.  "Opioid overdose is often characterized by a decrease in breathing rate which if not quickly addre…

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by Kathy Reakes
DV Plus - Westchester
Politics
Around The Towns: Lawmakers Fight Electric Hike, Scorn Guns, Restore Federal Funds, Praise LGBT Around The Towns: Lawmakers Fight Electric Hike, Scorn Guns, Restore Federal Funds, Praise LGBT
Around The Towns: Lawmakers Fight Electric Hike, Scorn Guns, Restore Federal Funds, Praise LGBT State Sen. Shelley B. Mayer of Yonkers recently testified against Con Edison's proposed electric and gas rate increase for 3.5 million Westchester and New York City customers. In January, the utility company applied to the state Public Service Commission to request a total revenue increase of $695 million, resulting in a 5.7 percent increase on the average residential electric bill, and a 10.9 percent increase on the average residential gas bill. If approved, Con Edison estimates that the average bill for a residential electric customer would increase by more than $6 monthly and by mor…

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by Jon Craig
Clarkstown
News
Free Narcan Training Session Will Be Held In Rockland Free Narcan Training Session Will Be Held In Rockland
Free Narcan Training Session Will Be Held In Rockland Rockland County will hold a free one-hour Narcan training session open to the public, County Executive Ed Day and Commissioner of Mental Health Michael Leitzes announced. The training is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Rockland County Legislative Chambers (11 New Hempstead Road in New City). Check-ins start at 9 a.m. The training is open to everyone over the age of 18. After completing the training, each participant will receive a Narcan Rescue Kit. This training session is conducted by the Rockland County Department of Mental Health (RCDMH) and the New York State Office …

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by Valerie Musson
Mahwah-Ramsey
News
Feds Grant Mahwah $300,000 To Help Fight Opioid Abuse Feds Grant Mahwah $300,000 To Help Fight Opioid Abuse
Feds Grant Mahwah $300,000 To Help Fight Opioid Abuse The federal government has granted Mahwah $299,360 for anti-opioid programs, training and initiatives, as authorities increase their attention to synthetic drugs – particularly fentanyl. The Justice Department Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery grant will help township police and the Mahwah Municipal Alliance “not only build on existing [community-based] programs but also introduce new and innovative programs to deter substance abuse,” Mayor Bill Laforet said Thursday. Those programs include prescription-drug monitoring to prevent recipients from abusing or passing on medications, he said…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Mt. Kisco
News
New York Will Now Get $100M A Year From Opioid Manufacturers New York Will Now Get $100M A Year From Opioid Manufacturers
New York Will Now Get $100M A Year From Opioid Manufacturers The New York State Senate took opioid manufacturers to task Friday, approving a measure requiring all companies who manufacture or sell opioids in the state to split a $100 million annually to help pay for treatment costs. The surcharge, included in the state's $168.5 billion budget, will help cover the costs of the state-funded drug and alcohol and treatment programs. Expected to be approved by the Assembly late Friday, the surcharge is part of a series of opioid-abuse measures in the budget, including one that makes it more difficult for physicians to prescribe opioids to patients for lon…

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by Kathy Reakes