Tennessee SMART Justice Network- The TN SMART Justice Network is dedicated bringing government agencies and other together in a collaborative effort to find smart solutions for justice-involved individuals with substance abuse issues.

08 May

0

Prisoner re-entry, imprisonment alternatives bills pass Tennessee House

Two bills touted by Gov. Bill Lee as the key to his criminal justice reform package passed the Tennessee House on April 27.

House Bill 784 and House Bill 785 – dubbed the Alternatives to Incarceration Act and the Re-entry Success Act – passed the House with overwhelming support. Companion bills in the Senate still continued to work through the committee process.

HB 784, which passed the House, 89-1, aims to keep nonviolent offenders out of prison, especially those suffering from mental and substance abuse issues. HB 785, which passed, 90-1, incorporates a plan to help prisoners re-enter society in hopes of lessening their chances of returning to prison.

07 May

0

West Tennessee Drug Task Force team named 2020 Team of the Year

by tncourts in Statistics

The nine members of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force were honored Friday for the work it did in 2020, with a historic number of seizures and arrests in the face of the COVID pandemic.

“These men and women go to work every day devoted to making west Tennessee safer. Safer for our children, to keep dangerous deadly drugs out of their hands, and safer from violent criminals,” said Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich.

04 May

0

Tennessee addiction treatment companies join CMS demonstration

by tncourts in Recovery, research

Tennessee-based addiction treatment companies ReVIDA Recovery Centers and Cedar Recovery have been selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to participate in a four-year demonstration exploring new payments and delivery models in treating patients with opioid use disorder.

02 May

0

State sticking to its approach on opioid epidemic

by tncourts in legislation, Statistics

In the war against opioid overdose deaths, Tennessee is winning one battle — doctors are prescribing pain pills at much lower rates — but still losing other battles. Tennessee doctors prescribed 43% fewer prescription opiates in 2018 (.82 prescriptions per person) than they did in 2010 (1.4 per person), following a national pattern. The state still sees some of the country’s highest rates of pain pill prescriptions, particularly in Appalachian counties, but tougher rules have reduced the number of people who can access them and the number of pills they can get at a time.

“We have made considerable progress over these last five years, and we will always strive to balance safe and effective pain management with ending the cycle of addiction for Tennesseans by cracking down on overprescribing and pill mills,” Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) said in a statement.

But the state is losing other battles. Tennesseans keep dying of overdoses, and the death rate isn’t improving.

26 Apr

0

Study finds increased risk of serious opioid events in mothers, regardless of dose

by tncourts in pregnancy, research

A new study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers finds that new mothers who receive opioids after uncomplicated vaginal births face an increased risk of serious opioid-related events regardless of the opioid dosage, a finding that could significantly impact care delivery.

Andrew Wiese, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of Health Policy in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology, authored the paper published online April 15 in Women’s Health Issues, with Sarah Osmundson, MD, MPH, associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and other researchers in the departments of Biostatistics and Health Policy.

The study examined roughly 147,000 women enrolled in TennCare — Tennessee’s Medicaid program — between 2007 and 2014 who gave birth and had received one or fewer opioid prescriptions prior to delivery.

21 Apr

0

Tennessee to take part in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

by tncourts in Campaign

Tennesseans have a renewed opportunity to remove harmful and potentially-addictive prescription medication from their homes as a part of the upcoming 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The event is set for 10:00am to 2:00pm on April 24th, 2021.

On Take Back Day, Substance Abuse Prevention Coalitions and other community groups team up with their local law enforcement to host events where anyone can safely and securely dispose of prescription medication that has expired or is no longer needed. In addition to preventing substance misuse, proper disposal of medication protects Tennessee’s drinking water supply.

Find a Take Back Day event in your area by visiting this link on TNtogether.com.

17 Apr

0

Hamilton County drug-related deaths rose 50% in 2020, preliminary data shows

by tncourts in Statistics

Last year was a deadly one for overdoses in the Chattanooga area, as a pandemic worked to overshadow the ongoing — and still growing — opioid epidemic in the region.

Unlike in the early days of the opioid epidemic, during which prescription drugs were front and center, the highly potent synthetic opioid fentanyl is now the driving force behind the crisis.

While 270 Hamilton County residents died due to COVID-19 in 2020, 160 are reported to have died from overdoses and drug-related deaths, according to the Hamilton County Medical Examiner’s office.

The story includes information on deaths by age, race, and gender. Read More.

16 Apr

0

More Than 3,700 Pounds of Prescription Drugs Collected

by tncourts in Uncategorized

Residents have dropped 3,760 pounds of prescription drugs into the Drop Box located inside Brentwood City Hall over the past three years. On average, about 1,000 pounds are collected each year. In 2018, the City of Brentwood partnered with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Dangerous Drugs Task Force, and the Williamson County Anti-Drug Coalition to install a prescription drug drop box in the city hall lobby, located at 5211 Maryland Way. Once the new Brentwood Police Department Headquarters opens later this spring, a second drug box will be placed at the building located at 910 Heritage Way.

Program administrator, Brentwood Police Officer Bill Reape, says since 2018, he has emptied the box 117 times. “We are so thankful that residents and anyone in Brentwood uses this drop box,” Officer Reape said. “This is a safe way to help control the spread of opioid addiction. People do not need expired or unused prescription pain pills in their home, so our drop box provides a safe and easy way to get rid of prescription medicines,” Officer Reape added.

16 Apr

0

Addicted Tennessee: Saving lives from the pandemic within a pandemic

by tncourts in Recovery

One recovery group in middle Tennessee is hoping to reach those battling addiction nationwide. You may recognize Adam Comer from other stories we’ve done on the opioid crisis.

He’s Pastor and CEO of S2L Recovery, a Christ based addiction recovery center in rural Cannon County.

“What we’re dealing with is deadly and if we shut our doors, we know people will die,” Comer said.

He’s not talking about COVID-19, but the pandemic within the pandemic that’s grown exponentially since the world shut down.

“When we’re in lockdown and we’re distancing from people and trying to isolate and things like that, that’s the enemy for addiction,” Comer said.

14 Apr

0

Cedar Recovery selected for Medicare and Medicaid ViT initiative

by tncourts in Recovery

Cedar Recovery, LLC, a leading provider of outpatient addiction treatment in Tennessee, is pleased to announce its selection by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to be a participant in the Value in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Demonstration (ViT) initiative. Cedar is 1 of 61 total participants selected from applicants across the country. The initiative is a four (4) year demonstration program designed to increase access to opioid use disorder treatment services, improve physical and mental health outcomes, and to the extent possible, reduce Medicare program expenditures for applicable beneficiaries.

31 Mar

0

2020 expected to be Tennessee’s deadliest year for overdoses

by tncourts in Statistics

Tennessee’s overdose epidemic continues to worsen. Though 2020 data is still preliminary, the Tennessee Department of Health says the increasing trends combined with the exacerbating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have formed what will be the state’s deadliest year for overdoses.

A new report from the Office of Informatics and Analytics says fatal overdoses in 2020 are expected to greatly exceed those in 2019. Estimates gathered from January to September 2020 had already surpassed the total number for all of 2019 with the highest number of opioid overdoses reported in May than any other month in 2020.

Read the full report here.

08 Mar

0

2020 Tennessee Men’s Health Report Card: Overall improvement, work to be done

by tncourts in Statistics, video

Men’s health across Tennessee is trending toward improvement, according to the 2020 Tennessee Men’s Health Report Card, but racial and geographic disparities persist.

Compiled by Vanderbilt University’s Center for Research on Men’s Health in cooperation with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the Tennessee Department of Health, Meharry Medical College and the Tennessee Men’s Health Network, the TMHRC reports the state of health and well-being in men across Tennessee and is used to guide policy advocacy and practices across the state. Among key findings:

From 2014 to 2018, men had higher rates of death caused by opioid overdose than women, and white men’s opioid overdose rate was almost twice that of Black men;
Men in East Tennessee had higher rates of opioid overdose death than men in Middle or West Tennessee;

Read the full story here.

05 Mar

0

Meet the Tennessee Mom Working to End the Opioid Epidemic: ‘We Need Empathy and Compassion’

by tncourts in Uncategorized

A Tennessee mom was recently featured in People Magazine. After Kimberly Ladd’s life was turned upside-down by opioid addiction, she vowed to make it easier for other people to get help.

From the outside, Kimberly Ladd’s life seemed to be going well in 2007. The wife of an Army combat veteran who had done tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, Ladd was raising two young daughters in Spring Hill, Tenn., while working as a corporate trainer, a job she loved. But she had a dark secret: She was addicted to opioids. “I couldn’t feel without them,” she says. “At the worst of it, it’s all you can think of.”

Ladd later founded the Maury County Prevention Coalition.

Read the full story.

Ladd was also featured in a story by the Tennessee Department of Health.

22 Feb

0

Spero Health Opens New Clinic in Crossville, TN – Bringing Hope to Those Struggling with Addiction

by tncourts in Uncategorized

As drug overdose deaths soar to an all-time high, Spero Health has expanded further in Tennessee with the opening of a new addiction treatment clinic in Crossville. CARF-accredited, Spero Health is a national leader in providing care for individuals struggling with substance use disorders and will bring affordable, high quality addiction treatment services through a combination of telehealth and in-person visit options at this new clinic. Located at 1846 South Main Street, the clinic will open its doors on February 23rd, and joins a network of over 45 Spero Health locations throughout Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and Indiana, providing care for more than 8,500 patients. Spero Health accepts TennCare and most commercial insurance plans. Individuals who need addiction treatment services are encouraged to walk-in for help or call: 931-340-5065 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Read the full news release.

22 Feb

0

Jackson General recognized for work in opioid-related pregnancy projects

by tncourts in Uncategorized

Jackson-Madison County General Hospital received the Gold Banner Award for their work in the Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy and Opioid Exposed Newborn projects. The award from Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care is based on the participation, data collection and improvements in implementing best practices of care. Read the full story here.

22 Feb

0

A willingness to learn is the best weapon against Tennessee’s opioid epidemic | Opinion

by tncourts in Statistics

Guest columnist Jordan Clark advocates for greater education and use of Naloxone in an op-ed that appeared in the Knox News. “Whilst we advocate for long-term solutions, there is still much work we can do in our own communities. I encourage all concerned Tennesseans to contact their local Regional Opioid Prevention Specialist and start taking action. Only together can we defeat this epidemic.” Read the full story here.

19 Oct

0

Image Slideshow Post

by tncourts in image, info

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19 Oct

0

Audio Post

by tncourts in Campaign, info

Praesent sapien massa, convallis a pellentesque nec, egestas non nisi. Nulla porttitor accumsan tincidunt. Quisque velit nisi, pretium ut lacinia in, elementum id enim. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed porttitor lectus nibh. Pellentesque in ipsum id orci porta dapibus. Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Praesent sapien massa, convallis a pellentesque nec, egestas non nisi. Curabitur non nulla sit amet nisl tempus convallis quis ac lectus. Nulla porttitor accumsan tincidunt.

Blog

Prisoner re-entry, imprisonment alternatives bills pass Tennessee House

West Tennessee Drug Task Force team named 2020 Team of the Year

Tennessee addiction treatment companies join CMS demonstration

State sticking to its approach on opioid epidemic

Study finds increased risk of serious opioid events in mothers, regardless of dose

Tennessee to take part in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Hamilton County drug-related deaths rose 50% in 2020, preliminary data shows

More Than 3,700 Pounds of Prescription Drugs Collected

Addicted Tennessee: Saving lives from the pandemic within a pandemic

Cedar Recovery selected for Medicare and Medicaid ViT initiative

2020 expected to be Tennessee’s deadliest year for overdoses

2020 Tennessee Men’s Health Report Card: Overall improvement, work to be done

Meet the Tennessee Mom Working to End the Opioid Epidemic: ‘We Need Empathy and Compassion’

Spero Health Opens New Clinic in Crossville, TN – Bringing Hope to Those Struggling with Addiction

Jackson General recognized for work in opioid-related pregnancy projects

A willingness to learn is the best weapon against Tennessee’s opioid epidemic | Opinion

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Prisoner re-entry, imprisonment alternatives bills pass Tennessee House

West Tennessee Drug Task Force team named 2020 Team of the Year

Tennessee addiction treatment companies join CMS demonstration