CORYELL COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Jane Vaughn is no stranger to the impact of opioids — she witnessed it firsthand while caring for her mother, who suffered from breast cancer.
“It’s been going on for too long,” Vaughn said.
“But again, you have to start someplace. Since these are our local elected officials, they have more power than us, the common folk, to get together to raise awareness and put a stop to this malicious apathy about wanting to maintain control over a very addictive substance.”
The substance she referred to is opioids, a class of drugs that became a regular part of Vaughn’s life as she picked up pain medication for her mother.
“It was just a lot of red tape to jump through to get her pain pills,” Vaughn said.
“But, you know, that’s more difficult for cancer patients and those who do actually need those pain pills because of people abusing it.”
This challenge is one of the driving forces behind a multidistrict class-action lawsuit filed in 2017. The lawsuit, which includes several Texas counties, such as Coryell County, aims to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the widespread opioid crisis that has plagued communities across the state.
Last week, the case appeared on the Coryell County Commissioners’ agenda during an executive session. However, Precinct 1 Commissioner Kyle Matthews said the discussion was more of a formality, and no new developments emerged. Still, Matthews said it is a sign the county is inching closer to reaching a settlement.
The opioid crisis, however, continues to cast a shadow over communities. When 25 News’ Allison Hill asked whether Vaughn believes the situation has improved in recent years, Vaughn had a mixed response.
“People are more aware of its addicting traits,” she replied.
"But again, education is where it’s at. These pharmaceutical companies need to stop looking at their top end and the money and start looking at our patients and the lives they actually affect.”
Other counties, including Dallas, Harris, Tarrant, and Bexar, also filed lawsuits against Purdue Pharmaceuticals and have since reached settlements, according to case documents.
