(Podcast) How Law Enforcement is Rethinking Mental Health and Addiction

Click here to listen on Spotify If anyone has gotten a true bird’s eye view of the drug problem in the United States, it’s someone like Special Agent Karl Colder of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. From starting in Philadelphia when crack cocaine was the top concern to overseeing the

Guest Column: How mental health and substance abuse treatment help incarcerated Tennesseans

A woman in prison with her arms resting against the cell bars.

Read the full article at The Tennessean. Changes to telehealth policy enable mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. This is crucial, as the rate of incarceration is increasing the most in rural areas.  About two-thirds of all incarcerated Tennesseans meet the criteria for a diagnosable substance use disorder. This

Guest Column: Telehealth can help thousands of recovering Tennesseans by adding more online medical providers

A doctor in a white coat holds a cell phone.

Read the full article at The Tennessean. In 2020, there were only 1,007 providers in Tennessee capable of prescribing buprenorphine, a safe and effective medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD).  However, in that same year it was estimated that at least 70,000 Tennesseans had OUD. While this

New Policy Brief: Opioid Overdose Deaths in Tennessee

Chart depicting overdose deaths involving multiple drugs.

Read the full policy brief here. Key Points Opioid overdose deaths (ODD) are best understood as three phases: first due to prescription opioid misuse, followed by a rise in heroin use, and currently due to contamination by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Each phase has posed unique policy challenges. Numerous

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