Smoky Mountain Journal -More Than 1200 Knox Countians Received Naloxone Last Year According to Metro Drug Coalition




The Great Smoky Mountain Journal Source: Fox News Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:25 PM

More Than 1200 Knox Countians Received Naloxone Last Year According to Metro Drug Coalition
More than 1,200 people in Knox County received Naloxone in Knox County last year, according to a report issued by the Metro Drug Coalition on Thursday. To better understand the depth of the opioid crisis in East Tennessee, the Knox County Health Department teamed up with the Metro Drug Coalition to gather information on Naloxone deployments from first responders in Knox County between October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017. More first responders in Knox County are both carrying and administering Naloxone to suspected overdose victims, according to officials. Emergency medical responders have carried the overdose reversal drug for nearly 30 years, while other agencies like the Knoxville Police Department started carrying it in recent months. AMR Rural/Metro EMS and Fire, the Knoxville Fire Department and the Knoxville Police Department's reports of Naloxone administering incidents contributed to the data presented Thursday. Research found that three or more individuals received Naloxone every day in Knox County, on average.