(Podcast) How Health Insurance (or Lack Thereof) Affects Treatment Options In Tennessee

Click here to listen on Spotify According to the most recent report from the Tennessee Department of Health, two-thirds of all overdose fatalities are men, most of whom are aged 25-54. According to independent research, this group is also far more likely to lack health insurance. My guest this month

“Has fentanyl peaked?” is the wrong question.

On May 21, the New York Times published an article titled “Has Fentanyl Peaked?” The premise is that the “opioid crisis…may finally be turning around” based on the fact that preliminary data from the CDC shows that drug overdose deaths slightly declined in 2023, now down to 107,543 estimated deaths

SMART in the news: “A chance collaboration between the nightlife director and a police sergeant has yielded a breakthrough”

“One of his partners in that effort was Trevor Henderson, the former director of Metro Public Health’s Overdose Response Program who is now working as a substance use response consultant with the University of Tennessee’s SMART Initiative — or, Substance Misuse and Addiction Resource for Tennessee. A year or so

SMART’s Trevor Henderson awarded for prior work on overdose response

SMART’s Middle Tennessee substance use response consultant, Trevor Henderson, was honored by the Department of Justice with the 2024 Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement for his work in his previous role as the Director of the Opioid/Overdose Response and Reduction Program at the Nashville Metro Public Health Department. His

Forest For the Trees: The Stigma of Substance Use During Pregnancy

Watch this documentary on the stigma of substance use during pregnancy, masterfully produced by ETSU’s Dr. Kelly Moore, funded by the Tennessee Department of Health.  Featured are mothers in recovery and several experts across the state, including SMART Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Tourville and friends of SMART Dr. Stephen Loyd,

(Podcast) Recovery Community Centers Are Changing Everything

Click here to listen on Spotify Naloxone. Access to treatment. Housing. Employment. Educational opportunities. We’re used to hearing about the need for these aspects of recovery. But what about community? A place to gather with others, especially those with similar experiences? That’s where recovery community centers come in. My first

Jefferson County Recognized for Opioid Settlement Planning Process

Jefferson County proudly announces it’s received one of the inaugural awards for Excellence in the Application of the Opioid Litigation Principles. The Opioid Litigation Principles were developed by a coalition of organizations from across the spectrum of the substance use field and by faculty and staff from the Johns Hopkins

(Podcast) Nashville’s Overdose Co-Response Unit Brings Harm Reduction to Law Enforcement

Click here to listen on Spotify As the drug overdose deaths continue to climb, we have heard more and more Sheriffs and law enforcement officers across the state say “we can’t arrest ourselves out of this problem.” That the criminal justice system plays an important role, but not the only

New Policy Brief: What is the Risk of “Captagon” and Other Pill-Pressed Stimulants in Tennessee?

KEY POINTS The U.S. is the world’s largest market for amphetamine-type stimulants. While “ice” methamphetamine is the predominant type seized in Tennessee, amphetamine powder, cocaine, designer stimulants like MDMA, and diverted pharmaceuticals are also encountered. In fact, non-medical use of pharmaceutical amphetamines is the most predominant type of amphetamine use

(Podcast) The Buprenorphine Waiver is Gone…Now What?

Click here to listen on Spotify There have been huge changes at the federal level regarding the prescribing of medications for opioid use disorder, particularly regarding buprenorphine. For two decades since the DATA 2000 law, addiction clinicians had to get a specialized waiver through the DEA to prescribe buprenorphine, and

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