2019 Will Be A Record Year For Fatal Overdoses In Nashville — By Far

It will be another record year for fatal overdoses in Nashville. Newly released figures show the 2018 figure was eclipsed at the end of September.

During the first three quarters, 337 fatal overdoses have been confirmed in Davidson County, according to the Metro Public Health Department. So before the fourth quarter of the year even started, Davidson County had surpassed the overdose record set in 2018, of 331 deaths.

Metro opioid response coordinator Trevor Henderson says the crisis has grown so much that it’s even reduced the stigma around addiction.

“People are suffering from a disease and they need help,” he says. “I think that message is really gotten into the community. Probably because a lot of people know somebody in their family, their church, their community, somebody they work with.”

The overdose crisis is also growing more complex, with many of the deaths involving multiple drugs including cocaine and methamphetamine. And fentanyl has become the primary cause of nearly two-thirds of the Davidson County overdoses, according to the latest figures.

At times, drug users don’t even know they’ve taken the powerful opioid because their cocaine or meth is laced with it.