Opioid overdoses rise across region as prevention efforts continue to organize

SEQUATCHIE COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Tennessee Department of Health says that opioid overdoses are rising across the region. 

They say that there has been a general increase in overdoses across the past month due to the presence of fentanyl and meth among other drugs.

We have previously reported on other rural counties such as Grundy County, which reported 4 fatal overdoses in April.

Rachel Swafford, the Regional Substance Misuse Response Coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Health, said, “We typically see an increase in drug overdoses this time of year historically, even going back to the pandemic we saw an increase of overdoses then in May 2020.”

Wednesday, they were giving out free narcan in Lewis Chapel in Sequatchie County.

That county has formed a drug task force as they say rural counties are banding together to tackle this prevalent issue.

They say they have seen several hotspots across the county, but say residents so far are responsive to the outreach.

Linda Lewandowski, Sequatchie County Commissioner for District One, and also serves on this drug task force said, “I think they’re happy there’s an organized application of resources that’s getting started in the county because the hardest problem is “Where do I go for help? What’s out there?”

They emphasized that is an ongoing battle that is afflicting much of the country.