MENTAL HEALTH

As part of a national class action lawsuit, drug companies and pharmacies have to pay $1 billion to Massachusetts over 18 years. Sixty percent of the money goes to the state to distribute, and 40 percent to cities and towns directly.

An inside look at NEPM's new series, "High Stakes: Gambling Addiction, Beyond Borders." Reporter Karen Brown traveled to Norway and the United Kingdom to learn how other countries are balancing the excessive spread of legal betting with the risk of gambling disorders — and looked at similar efforts within the United States.

As sports betting expands across the U.S., states are on their own to make the rules. A growing movement of U.S. health leaders and legislators want to strengthen and standardize the way gambling is regulated. But they are facing opposition from the betting industry.

In 2005, the U.K. passed a law that liberalized the gambling industry, which had previously been merely tolerated. Public health leaders across the Atlantic say the U.S. should take note of the challenges the U.K. has faced since gambling spread to almost every city.

When it comes to gambling, Norway is one of the most regulated countries in the world. What can Massachusetts and the U.S. learn from its public health approach to betting addiction?

Norway's highly controlled approach to gambling includes reaching out to players who appear headed for trouble. At Norse Rikstoto, the government-run company that oversees horse racing, staff make personal calls to people who show an uptick in time or money spent on betting.

A western Massachusetts family practice doctor has testified at seven hearings on Beacon Hill. Meanwhile, lawmakers have not enacted meaningful changes to enable her to keep from laying off staff.

We explore the movie music curation of Randall Poster, get a tour of Full Well Farms with Meg Bantle in Adams and hear how budget cuts could affect Cutchins Programs for Children and Families.

Competitive alpine skiing mother-daughter duo and their complex relationship is at the center of Mass. author Megan Tady's novel "Bluebird Day."

Clinics that were federally launched 60 years ago for underserved populations say cuts to Medicaid (MassHealth) and new Trump administration rules could severely reduce access to health care.