Mark Trudeau, president and CEO of Mallinckrodt, said the tentative agreement represents an "important ste[p] toward resolving the uncertainties in our business related to the opioid litigation," in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri.
- Delaware: Wilmington Hospital earlier this month held a special wedding for Gus and Rachel Jiménez, after Gus was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The community provided the couple with a wedding dress, tuxedo, and photography at no cost, and hospital staff turned a wing of the facility into a wedding venue. Rachel said the wedding was "bittersweet," adding, "We're still living in the moment, and that's basically what we're doing every day" (Hendrickson, 6ABC, 2/25).
- Kentucky: Baptist Healthcare is planning a $5.8 million expansion and renovation at its hospital in La Grange. Officials said the project will increase the hospital's capacity, improve ED workflow and efficiency, and improve patients' experience at the hospital (Mann, Louisville Business First, 2/24).
- Missouri: Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday announced that it has reached a tentative $1.6 billion settlement in a case that consolidates thousands of lawsuits claiming the company contributed to the U.S. opioid epidemic. Mallinckrodt said 47 states and U.S. territories, as well as a committee of attorneys representing thousands of U.S. localities, have agreed to the tentative settlement. According to the New York Times, Mallinckrodt is the first opioid manufacturer to reach a tentative national settlement with a large majority of the states and municipal governments involved in the case. Mark Trudeau, Mallinckrodt's president and CEO, said the tentative agreement represents an "important ste[p] toward resolving the uncertainties in our business related to the opioid litigation" (Kaplan/Hoffman, New York Times, 2/25; Zezima/Mettler, Washington Post, 2/25; Gladstone/Hopkins, Wall Street Journal, 2/25).