Addressing Fentanyl Overdoses in Tennessee
Expanding substance abuse treatment and recovery support services in rural areas of middle Tennessee.
Dr. Satish Kedia, along with his colleagues Dr. Yu Jiang and Dr. Patrick Dillon of Kent State University, have been working on a U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-funded project to address the dire need to prevent opioid overdoses and to provide effective treatment amid the continuing opioid epidemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from 2022 rank Tennessee 8th in the nation for fatal overdose episodes, with a reported 3,854 deaths. Fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid, contributed to 74% of the opioid-related fatalities in 2022. Rural areas are particularly hard-hit by overdose, as people who use drugs in these remote areas often lack access to medical and mental health care, and substance use treatment options are limited. Further, for every fatal overdose, there are about 12 non-fatal overdose episodes. People who survive overdose events are likely to overdose again and are prone to poor health outcomes.
Kedia and his colleagues are addressing this crisis by partnering with a treatment agency, Buffalo Valley, Inc. (BVI), on the project, “Expanding substance abuse/co-occurring treatment and recovery support services for fentanyl overdose clients in rural middle Tennessee,” which is currently recruiting participants who have experienced fentanyl overdose for long-term residential treatment at the BVI treatment facility. This project aims to admit approximately 250 individuals to evidence-based inpatient substance use treatment. Project participants are engaged in a full continuum of care, including temporary housing, detoxification, psychosocial services, and medication, as well as case management and recovery support services. The project also integrates harm reduction techniques that empower participants to be agents of change in their own lives and reduce the likelihood of further overdose events, regardless of how long they maintain substance abstinence.
Kedia and his team assist with the fidelity of the evidence-based treatment and evaluate the treatment outcomes to ensure the positive impact of long-term treatment for opioid use and co-occurring disorders. The research team anticipates that their on-going research will contribute to the evidence base supporting effective treatment options for this at-risk population.
For more information about this project, please contact Dr. Kedia at skkedia@memphis.edu.
