Tennessee Receives Grant from Federal Government to Address Opioid Crisis
December 22, 2019
Nashville, TN – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that Tennessee is one of 10 states to receive the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model grant.
The purpose of this Model is to assist states in combating the nation’s opioid crisis and address fragmentation in the care of pregnant and postpartum Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD).
TennCare recipient of the Maternal Opioid Misuse Model grant to combat opioid misuse among expectant mothers and improve care for children impacted by the crisis.
Tennessee Department of Health starts “Tennessee Faces of Opioid Crisis” campaign
July 20, 2019
Nashville, TN – On July 16th, 2019, the Tennessee Department of Health kicked off the new “Tennessee Faces of the Opioid Crisis” public education and awareness campaign at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.
This project will feature people from every county of Tennessee sharing personal stories of how they have been impacted by the opioid crisis.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam Signs TN Together Legislation
June 29, 2018
Laws Fight the Opioid Epidemic through Prevention, Treatment and Law Enforcement
Maryville, TN – Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today signed legislation to support TN Together, the governor’s aggressive and comprehensive plan to end the opioid crisis in Tennessee through three key areas – prevention, treatment and law enforcement.
“This legislation is a major step in helping fight this epidemic by limiting the supply of opioids and providing resources to provide treatment for those addicted,” Haslam said in a ceremonial bill signing at the Blount Memorial Hospital.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam Proposes $30 Million for School Safety
March 20, 2018
Tennessee Governor’s Fiscal Year 2018-19 Budget Amendment Also Includes Additional Improvements for Broadband, Higher Education and Treatment for Opioid Addiction
Nashville, TN – Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today proposed $30 million to improve school safety across the state in the amendment to the fiscal year 2018-19 budget proposal to be considered by the Tennessee General Assembly in the coming weeks.
The funding includes $25 million in nonrecurring and $5.2 million in recurring school safety grants.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.
Tennessee Governor Haslam announces 2018 Legislative Agenda
February 1, 2018
Legislation includes Complete College Tennessee Act of 2018, Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018, UT FOCUS Act, and TN Together
Nashville, TN – Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today announced his legislative agenda for the 2018 session, continuing his focus on leading the nation in jobs, education, and efficient and effective government.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.
Haslam announces Aggressive, Comprehensive Plan to End Tennessee’s Opioid Epidemic
January 22, 2018
TN Together Fights Opioid Addiction through Prevention, Treatment and Law Enforcement
Nashville, TN – Joined by leadership from the House and Senate and Chief Justice Jeff Bivins, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on Monday announced an aggressive and comprehensive plan to end the opioid epidemic in Tennessee by focusing on three major components: prevention, treatment and law enforcement.
TN Together is a multi-faceted initiative that addresses the issue of opioid addiction through legislation, proposed funding in the governor’s 2018-19 budget and executive actions.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.
Tennessee Leaders Call for Increased Awareness about Fentanyl
June 16, 2017
Nashville, TN – Fentanyl: It’s here; it’s deadly and not just illegal users are at risk. Along with fentanyl there are other, more powerful drugs like carfentanil that are being used in counterfeiting legal drugs like Percocet and even counterfeiting of illegal heroin.
That’s the message leaders from the Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security provided today during a press conference at TBI headquarters in Nashville.
Tennessee Leaders say Misuse of the Powerful Drug Fentanyl and it’s Derivatives are Causing Overdoses and Deaths.
Tennessee issues Public Health Advisory on Fentanyl
April 30, 2017
Nashville, TN – Fentanyl, an exceptionally powerful drug used legally to treat extreme pain, has found its way to the illegal drug market, and it is killing people.
According to three departments and one agency of Tennessee State Government, overdose deaths associated with fentanyl are increasing in the state and law enforcement officials have found the drug in counterfeit versions of commonly misused pain relief pills.
Misuse and Accidental Use of Powerful Drug Fentanyul can be Fatal.
Tennessee Department of Health says Naloxone offers Hope to Save Lives
September 1, 2015
Drug Overdoses Claim More Tennesseans in 2014
Nashville, TN – Even with the availability of naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote, and fewer prescription drugs being diverted, the number of Tennesseans who die each year due to drug overdoses increased again in 2014.
The total of overdose deaths rose by nearly 100, from 1,166 in 2013 to a record-setting 1,263 in 2014. If those numbers are hard to comprehend, consider this: more people died from drug overdoses in Tennessee last year than were killed in motor vehicle accidents.
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Consumer Reports Warns Against the Risks of Prescription and Over-The-Counter Painkillers
August 1, 2014
CR urges U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take stronger steps to reduce the dangers of pain-relief medications
Yonkers, NY – Some pain relief medications can be as addictive as heroin and are rife with deadly side effects.
Every day, 46 people in the U.S. die from legal pain pills and for each death, more than 30 people are admitted to an emergency room because of opioid complications. Consumer Reports has taken a close look at the dangers of prescription and over-the-counter painkillers and is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to do more to make these drugs safer. [Read more]
