To combat the issues of opioids, state and local leaders are relying on data to pinpoint issues.

Recently, the Tennessee Department of Health announced that deaths in the state, in regards to drug overdose, increased during 2017 to 1,776 — “the high annual number of such deaths since reporting began,” according to the department.

Prescription drug abuse was also reported as the most common drugs associated with overdose deaths in Tennessee.

“More Tennesseans died last year from drug overdoses than from automobile crashes,” TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, said in a statement issued to the Elizabethton Star. The commissioner continued by adding that few across the state have been able to escape the crisis involved with the tragic death of a loved one.

“The good news is this has spurred us collectively to more action than ever before and while prescription drugs still account for the majority of deaths, there is hope on the horizon in many areas,” Dreyzehner explained.

LOCAL LEVEL 

Carter County saw a slight increase in numbers for 2017 in regards to overdose deaths.

Information provided by the state showed that the county saw 21 die due to overdoses in 2017 up from two during the previous year. Of the deaths in 2017, 16 were opioid-related.

Due to the severity of the issue across the state, Carter County Drug Prevention Coalition Director Jilian Reece states that information is key.

Since its emergence downtown, the organization has done its part to help raise awareness for issues throughout the area. Reece said the recent announcement fuels the fire to help steer clear the issue at a local and state level.

“While we are saddened that overdoses are continuing to rise, it is a positive sign that we are better able to collect data around these overdoses and hopefully know what we are up against,” she added. “It is common for numbers to increase when real data collection begins as we see our improvements in collections paying off. These numbers show us how important our work and prevention is and fuel our fire to keep continuing this work.”

WHAT’S AHEAD

Local leaders have praised the efforts of the organization. City Council recently issued a proclamation to support the mission of CCDP and recognize National Overdose Awareness Day.

Individuals are encouraged to attend the organization’s National Overdose Awareness Day event on Friday, Aug. 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library.

Reece stated the event is open to the public and will provide training of Naloxone, discuss where the community is at in the terms of data and be able to hear stories of those that have been affected by these issues.

“It is during these events that we can train the public on the use of Naloxone, discuss where we are in terms of data, hear stories from people afflicted and truly realize that we have to work together if we want to change this issue in our community.”

To learn more about the upcoming schedule of events, visit the Carter County Drug Prevention Coalition Facebook page.