August 14, 2017 Anita Wadhwani Pain pills are sending more senior citizens to the hospital in Tennessee, according to data that sheds new light on how opioid addiction has spread to the state’s aging population. The rate of hospitalizations for Tennesseans 65 years and older due to painkillers has more than tripled in a decade. Older adults are […]
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 […]
CDC Report: Local opioid prescriptions dip, overdose deaths still surging
July 22, 2017 Zach Vance Local health officials appear to be making headway against the flood of opioids prescribed in Northeast Tennessee. But in a deadly twist, overdose fatalities are rising in area counties, due in part to addicts turning from prescription medication to heroin and fentanyl. Released in early July, a Centers for Disease Control […]
Number of babies born drug dependent in East TN down 18%
July 12, 2017 Kendall Morris The fight against opioids is making an impact in East Tennessee as data shows the number of babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) has dropped in the region. Comparing 2015 to 2016 data, the number of babies born with NAS in Knox County decreased by 18 percent. During the […]
Haslam: Non-cancer patients could see limits on long-term opioid scripts
July 10, 2017 Any Sher NASHVILLE — As he seeks remedies for Tennessee’s opioid abuse epidemic, Gov. Bill Haslam says his administration will explore whether to restrict long-term prescriptions of the powerful and addictive painkillers for many TennCare patients. “Should we ever be long-term prescribing opioids in TennCare in a non-cancer situation? That’s a question […]
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 […]
Should You Be Concerned?
Look for these signs and symptoms of prescription medicine abuse The summer is a season often spent with family, loved ones and acquaintances you don’t see as often during the year. As you prepare to spend more time with these people in the coming months, be sure to educate yourself on the signs of prescription […]
15 tons of pills collected during statewide drug take-back event
Jessica Bliss May 28, 2017 More than 15 tons of drugs were collected statewide at the most recent DEA take-back event, setting a new record. The total, 5 tons more than last year, marks the continuation of a Tennessee effort to address the opioid epidemic that plagues the state. A new report from the Tennessee […]
Drug exposure poses risk for first responders
Don Green May 21, 2017 The rash of overdoses related to opioid use is skyrocketing. Not only are individuals caught in the grips of addiction at risk, but innocent victims who may come into contact with these substances can be affected. Most recently, an Ohio police officer was inadvertently exposed to fentanyl during a traffic […]
Technology helping medical professionals combat Tennessee’s opioid crisis
Aaron Wright May 20, 2017 KNOXVILLE – Multiple pharmacies, multiple prescribers. Professionals say those are the red flags to look for to stop doctor-shopping and prescription pill abuse in Tennessee, a state under siege because of opioid abuse. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, America makes up 4.6 percent of the world’s population but […]
