NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Davidson County has the second highest overdose death rate in the country.
A new report by The San Francisco Chronicle looked at fatal overdoses across the country and found Davidson County was second only to Baltimore.
The report is from February 2022 to January 2023:
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Davidson County, Tennessee
- Philadelphia County, Pa.
- Marion County, Indiana
- Jefferson County, Kentucky
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco County, California
- Shelby County, Tennessee
Last year, 754 people died from a drug overdose in Nashville, according to the Metro Public Health Department. Fentanyl was the main driver in the increased number of drug overdose deaths. Other frequently detected substances in fatal drug overdose cases were meth and cocaine.
Virginia Sadler lost her grandson, Jeremy Miller, to fentanyl. The 80-year-old admits she didn't realize how powerful fentanyl is or how much of it is in our community until Miller died.
"You can die immediately if it's in heroin or pills you take from somebody," Sadler said. "That was amazing to me that these pills that are out here and they look like everything else and they've got fentanyl and they kill you," said Sadler.
Miller had just detoxed and completed treatment when he relapsed at a recovery house in Madison.
"It's just so hard. I didn't go through it when I was growing up. I mean we didn't even know about drinking or any stuff like that... it was smoking and beer," Sadler said.
Regional overdose prevention specialists with Nashville STARS told us that naloxone — the overdose reversal medication —- is something everyone should carry. They say it's best to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
As for where someone is safest when they're recovering, Andrea Hancock, a peer counselor with STARS, says a supportive living environment such as a recovery home or program. Those usually provide the support, accountability and structure needed for someone who is in recovery.
All homes aren’t the same, and all homes don't have the same guidelines. A family member or loved one should educate themselves on what options exist to find a safe place for a loved one to recover. That would include making visits and seeking referrals.
