June 14, 2018 Courtney Tipper According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an alarming 40 percent of opioid misusers have admitted to receiving painkillers from a friend or family member at no cost. Another 12 percent admit to purchasing or stealing prescription drugs from someone they know. Dramatically reducing this “pass […]
BlueCross anti-opioid abuse campaign wins prestigious award
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 […]
Spring National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is April 28
Heads up, Tennesseans! The next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is taking place on Saturday, April 28. You will have the opportunity to dispose of unused or expired medications at one of many take-back events happening across the state. National take-back events, which happen twice a year, provide a safe, convenient and reliable way to […]
Miss Tennessee uses personal tragedy to help fight opioid crisis
March 20, 2018 WKRN Staff NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – On Tuesday, Miss Tennessee took her tiara and her passion for the “Count it, Lock it, Drop it” initiative to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Caty Davis, who was crowned Miss Tennessee in 2017, lost her brother and father to opioid abuse and addiction. She’s since turned […]
Pharmaceutical practices evolve as opioid epidemic surges on
March 15, 2018 Maura Sirianni NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Tennessee has one of the highest rates of opioid prescriptions per person across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the opioid epidemic surging on, pharmaceutical practices are evolving to keep up. Pharmacists are often the last line of defense between […]
Miss Tennessee Talks Addiction
We are grateful to have Miss Tennessee, Caty Davis, as our goodwill ambassador. Caty helps share our message of the importance of counting pills, locking them up, and dropping unused or expired medicines. Caty is no stranger to opioid abuse – several of her family members struggled with addiction. Because of her personal experience, she […]
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 […]
Keeping Teens Safe From Drug Abuse This Summer
Parents: It’s officially summertime, and we know what that means. Kids suddenly have a lot of free, unsupervised time on their hands, and you might already be worried about where they will be and what they’ll be up to. According to Bradford Health Services, drug use among adolescents increases during summer months. While it’s impossible […]
Faces of Addiction, Part I: Adam Allmon
Before his addiction, Adam Allmon was no stranger to hard work. In school, the Smith County native was consistently in the top 25 percent of his class and maintained an impressive GPA. However, it all changed when he graduated from high school. What started out as a way to spend time with friends quickly developed […]
Chief Blackwell Discusses Prescription Drug Misuse
Prescription drug misuse is growing epidemic in the United States, especially in Tennessee. In 2014, there were more than 1,200 confirmed drug overdose deaths throughout the state according to the Center for Disease Control. The main source? Opioids. Paul Blackwell, the Chief of Police for the Tullahoma Police Department, knows the problem all too well. […]
