Mississippi Today reporter named finalist for national health journalism award

Allen Siegler, a mental health reporter at Mississippi Today, has been named a finalist for the 2025 National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Awards. He earned the recognition for his investigation into how Mississippi officials allocated more than $124 million in opioid settlement funds.

Siegler’s series, titled Black Box, revealed that the state spent less than 1% of the funds on measures to prevent overdose deaths. Since 2000, opioid use has resulted in more than 10,000 deaths in Mississippi, according to the report.

The NIHCM Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, hosts the competition judged by independent panels. Siegler is one of 42 finalists representing local, state, and national news outlets across the country.

Andrew Dreyfus, CEO and president of the NIHCM Foundation, praised the finalists’ work in a statement. Siegler said the recognition is an honor but also a bittersweet moment. He expressed concern that funds meant to combat addiction in Mississippi have gone unspent or been diverted for other purposes.

Siegler continues to cover how state officials award contracts and manage resources amid the overdose crisis. He emphasized that transparency and accountability remain critical as the state struggles with one of the worst public health crises in recent history. Winners will be announced in late April in Washington, D.C.

Source: Original Article