In 2020 there where 13 overdose deaths in Smith County Tennessee

More Americans died of drug overdoses in 2016 than died in the entire Vietnam War according to a report by Josh Katz for the New York Times.

According to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, in 2019 there where 2,089 opioid related deaths in the state of Tennessee. ALMOST SIX DEATHS EVERY DAY! Accidental Opioid Overdose has been declared a National Health Emergency! Accidental overdose is the number one cause of death in people under the age of fifty and it kills more people than motor vehicle accidents. This is why President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency on October 26th, 2017. In Smith county alone there were 13 over dose deaths in 2020. The Smith County Drug Prevention Coalition is making a difference in our community, but we need your help to bring that number to zero.

Are you or someone you care about at risk for accidental overdose? You can be at risk for accidental overdose if you take prescribed opioid medication for a real medical condition or if you use illicit drugs. We can help you understand the risk, how to lower that risk, and how to respond to an accidental opioid overdose. The Smith County Drug Prevention Coalition certifies and trains people who live in the Upper Cumberland region on how to give the lifesaving medication Naloxone.

Naloxone is a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. It can quickly restore normal respiration to a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped as a result of overdosing with heroin or prescription opioid pain medications. It is most often administered as a nasal spray, so anyone can be trained to use it Naloxone. Naloxone, also known by the name Narcan, is an opioid antagonist which binds to opioid receptors in the brain to reverse and block the effects of other opioids for a short amount of time. This is important to saving someone’s life during an opioid overdose. During this short amount of time (30 minutes to an hour) the overdose victim is restored back to a breathing, responsive state and is allowed the time that they need to get to a doctor’s office or hospital to receive long-term care that they need to save their life. Contact our office to set up a free training as well as receive a free overdose reversal kit. There is no cost to the participant. Anyone that contacts our office and receives help is also protected from liability under the “Good Samaritan Law.” Please call the Smith County Drug Prevention Coalition to register 1-615-588-1622.