Opioid addiction treatment providers in Middle Tennessee are spinning up mobile units to increase access to highly effective step-down medications. But speed bumps still stand in the way truly mobile medication-assisted treatment.
Harm reduction in Tennessee: a week of perspectives
This Is Nashville is taking a deep look into the opioid addiction crisis. Listen to four audio features here and find links to four full episodes.
The opioid that’s saving lives in Nashville
While doctors are prescribing fewer and fewer opioids, there’s one that’s not going away – buprenorphine, often known by its brand name of Suboxone. Compared to other narcotics, it’s harder to abuse. It’s far less dangerous than the synthetic street drugs. And it reduces the risk of overdosing. But it’s still an opioid that is […]
Smoking-focused addiction help would save lives, but it’s not easy to access in Tennessee
Appalachian states have had some of the highest overdose rates in the country over the past decade. But officials have been slow to adopt some harm reduction efforts that could save lives.
RFK stumps for overdose prevention in Nashville as Tennessee’s death rate declines
Before his appointment as HHS secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cast doubt on drugs like methadone, which help opioid use disorder patients stave off withdrawal and cravings. He touted them at the RX and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville.
More Tennesseans are contracting HIV through injection drug use
The rate of new HIV cases tied to drug use in Tennessee is surging — doubling over the past few years. Experts say that makes safe syringe programs more important than ever.
Tennessee regulators signed off on a controversial opioid treatment clinic in Putnam County
If fully approved, the clinic will sit outside of Cookeville. The company’s proposal estimated there are more than 6,500 Tennesseans in the area who suffer from opioid use disorder.
Tennessee is distributing $80 million in opioid settlement funds. Here’s what to know.
Tennessee is one of many states that sued opioid manufacturers, distributors and marketers. The companies settled, and the state brought in hundreds of millions of dollars.
Tennessee nurse practitioner known as ‘Rock Doc’ gets 20 years for illegally prescribing opioids
A Tennessee nurse practitioner who called himself the “Rock Doc” has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for illegally prescribing thousands of doses of opioids including oxycodone and fentanyl in return for money and sex, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Tennessee’s new attorney general says he’s a lawyer, not a politician. Here’s how he sees his role on issues like abortion.
Since taking office on Sept. 1, Skrmetti has already been more open to the media than his predecessor. Skrmetti says he wants to be more transparent so people understand what it is the AG does in Tennessee.
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