Melzinnia Connolly, of Norwood Park, on Feb. 6, 2024. Connolly has been diagnosed with nerve damage and was prescribed opioids. (DePaul’s Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence)

According to the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program, both the number of opioid prescriptions written and the number of patients served dropped by almost half since 2015.

The state of Illinois doesn’t track the number of pharmacies that mix, combine or alter the ingredients of a drug or require those that perform sterile compounding to report serious adverse events, according to a new report by Pew Charitable Trusts.

CVS has opened a massive mail order pharmacy in Mount Prospect. We tour the facility and hear what the company's CEO has to say about the impact of the Affordable Care Act.