BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WTVF) — Thursday is International Overdose Awareness Day. A day when too many Tennesseans will remember a loved one who died of an overdose.
To help those struggling and families mourning the loss of a loved one, East Brentwood Presbyterian Church, a Certified Recovery Congregation through the TN Dept of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Department-Faith Initiatives Division, is partnering with community organizations for a special night of healing. It's happening from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the church on Concord Road.
Reflections of Hope and Healing will have a lineup of speakers and musical performances, a Naloxone Training Workshop and 30 local organizations that are able to provide a number of resources for families and those struggling.
Looking at data from the first half of this year in Metro, there have been 332 deaths due to overdoses and the main killer, fentanyl, is found in 76 percent of those toxicology reports.
Starting next week you'll be able to buy Narcan at a drug store because of the rising rates of overdoses nationwide. It's been primarily used by first responders to reverse opioid overdose and now it will cost someone under $50 to have it in their home.
Another powerful tool is Metro's SPIKE text program. It alerts someone who may be struggling about overdose trends near them to possibly prevent more overdose deaths.
Individuals can sign up for the pilot program by texting SPIKE to 1 (855) 963-5669 (855-9-OD-KNOW).
