ASST. ATTY. GENERAL, RICK MOUNTCASTLE: INSPIRATION FOR HULU'S "DOPESICK"/NURSING HOME & CAREGIVER CRUSADER.

Rick Mountcastle  is not only an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia and a Retired Federal Prosecutor, he is a bonafide hero.  Rick, along with his partner, Randy Ramseyer, led the investigation and prosecution of Purdue Pharma, as well as its CEO, General Counsel, and Chief Medical Officer, in an unprecedented case, that, at the inception of the opioid crisis, held the opioid manufacturer and its top executives criminally and civilly responsible for falsely marketing OxyContin.  This case was at the center of Beth Macy's best-selling book, "Dopesick," and the the riveting, IMPORTANT, Hulu miniseries  of the same name that  premiered in October 2021. Rick is beautifully  portrayed  by Peter Sarsgaard. I binged all eight episodes of "Dopesick" which was eyeopening and absolutely horrifying. Showrunner/Executive Producer, Danny Strong,  did an amazing job putting faces on the opioid crisis, as well as the crusaders who relentlessly pursued "Big Pharma".  (One being our guest, Rick Mountcastle.)I was already blown away by Rick and Randy's passionate pursuit in taking down Purdue Pharma, but I literally gasped out loud when it was revealed in the last episode that they were going to go after Abbott Laboratories for falsely marketing  Depаkote, a drug that is meant to treat epilepsy, and tаrgeting nursing homes to treat agitation associated with Alzheimer's and dementia.  Depakote is the drug responsible for rendering my otherwise healthy mother non ambulatory and incontinent in a matter of seven days.Rick led the investigation and prosecution of Abbott Labs which resulted in criminal and civil penalties totaling $1.5 Billion (at the time the largest pharmaceutical settlement involving a single drug in U.S. history).  I had to thank him.  I did and asked if he might share what he had learned while investigating Abbott. Turns out Abbott Labs are not the only pharma targeting the under-staffed and over-worked nursing homes. Listen or watch this episode and TAKE NOTES. And HUGE thanks  to my special guest co-host, Trish Humenansky-Laub , Founder of Comfort in Their Journey LLC, guiding: Alzheimer's 🐞 Dignified Care 🐞 End of Life Author•Consultant•Speaker. xoxoxAnd if you are interested in joining me in a coalition to get the states to regulate Skilled Nursing Homes by requiring a specific minimum level of staffing, you can DM ME.Send us Fan MailIf someone you love experienced neglect in a nursing home…Then you know how desperately the system needs to change.  History has shown us that It takes people power to change anything worthwhile. That’s why we we’re launching something that’s never been done before. On September 27, communities across the country are coming together for the first-ever National Long-Term Care Reform Day.This is a peaceful national walk for dignity, accountability, and change in long-term care.We’rSupport the showNo Country For Old People; a Nursing Home Exposé is STREAMING NOW on Amazon Prime (https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0F7D1RR5X/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r) Visit the No Country For Old People Website for more information.Please watch. Review. Share.Be a ROAR-ior!! JOIN THE R.O.A.R. MOVEMENT (Respect, Oversight, Advocacy, Reform) for quality long term care! Visit the ROAR 4 LTC Website for more information and consider participating in the inaugural National National Long-Term Care Day, Sunday, September 27th The 1st ever ROAR 2026 National Walk for Long-Term Care Reform! Found out more here: https://www.roar4ltc.org/roar-2026-walkFollow us on Twitter, FB, IG, & TiK Tok 💜 Listen on your favorite platform 💜 If you like what you hear leave us some love.  💜