June 7, 2018 Staff report, The Tennessean A Tennessee campaign to combat the spread of opioid abuse by promoting the proper disposal of unneeded and expired pills has won a prestigious public relations award. The “Don’t Be An Accidental Drug Dealer” campaign, which was spearheaded by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and MP&F Strategic Communications, was […]
‘Drug Take Back Day’ nets almost 700 pounds of meds in Nashville area
April 28, 2018 Sandy Mazza Some arrived with tote bags full of opioids, sleeping pills, anti-depressants and other potentially dangerous medications. All together, authorities collected nearly 700 pounds of painkillers and other medications across the greater Nashville area during Saturday’s “Count it! Lock it! Drop it!” collection event on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Among the […]
Opinion | Continue collective fight against opioid misuse and abuse
February 24, 2018 Natalie Tate Tennessee’s opioids crisis is nearly unprecedented – but unfortunately, it isn’t new. We saw it on the horizon in the upper east region of the state years ago, where an increasing number of babies were being born dependent on prescription pain medication. We knew we had to take action, and […]
Miss Tennessee tackles opioid epidemic
October 17, 2017 Elizabeth Fite The effects of substance abuse and the opioid epidemic have hit close to home for Miss Tennessee 2017 Caty Davis. Her grandfather, father and half-brother all battled addiction, but Davis said her position as Miss Tennessee gives her a great opportunity to change the conversation surrounding drugs and alcohol. “My […]
NE Tenn. Gets $100K to fight opioid abuse
July 31, 2017 Lurah Spell BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. — More than $100,000 in federal funding will be used in Northeast Tennessee to fight what has been labeled a nationwide opioid epidemic. The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in December 2016, provides $1 billion in funding to prevent the abuse of opioids, heroin and other […]
Overcoming the opioid crisis
June 26, 2017 Hank Hayes KINGSPORT — Tennessee’s largest health insurer let business leaders at a Fourth Friday Kingsport Chamber of Commerce breakfast know it wants to be part of a solution to the opioid crisis. “We’re not here to lecture you on the dangers of opioid abuse. Our guess is everyone in this room has […]
Highlighting National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
Dr. Andrea Willis April 26, 2017 Prescription Drug Take-Back Day We see the impact of opioid abuse daily. We see it on the faces of family members and friends who are desperate to help their children struggling with addiction. We see it on the faces of co-workers who have lost family members to a drug […]
Knoxville Hosts Opioid Forum
Last month, the Knoxville News Sentinel and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee sponsored an opioid epidemic forum to address the growing opioid problem in Tennessee. The event offered the community opportunities to ask questions and get involved. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, health care professionals in Tennessee wrote more than 7.8 million opioid prescriptions in […]
You have a voice in opioid epidemic
March 30, 2017 To understand what brought the scores of people to a forum at the West High School lecture hall Tuesday night, you must look at the numbers in the opioid epidemic. Tennessee has the second-highest opioid prescription rate in the country, more than one prescription for every man, woman and child. Opioid prescription […]
Join Knoxville police chief at Tennessee opioid forum March 28
Last year 237 people died in Knox County of apparent drug overdoses. This year has started out just as bad with prospective overdose deaths happening about five times a week. Authorities are scrambling to find a solution. In 2015, Knoxville police started carrying Naloxone, which blocks the effects of the drugs on the respiratory and […]
