To eradicate opioid use disorder, the East Tennessee Rural Health Consortium strives to create healthy communities by enhancing health promotion and prevention, collaboration, and access to health services and care. Together these efforts will promote safety, physical and emotional wellness, and economic security.

East TN RHC Basics

Tennessee is in the midst of an opioid epidemic. In 1999, 342 residents of Tennessee died from prescription medication overdose. However, in the year 2023, Tennessee reported 2,936 overdose deaths and the fifth-highest opioid prescription rate in the United States. For the first time since 2020, Tennessee is experiencing a reduction in opioid overdose deaths and hospitalizations, however the number of hospitalizations related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl continue to increase. This epidemic has had a staggering impact on infants, children, adolescents, adults, families, communities, and professional workforces (e.g., healthcare, judicial, law enforcement). 

The goal of the consortium, led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), is to actively work together to decrease opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose deaths in identified rural counties. To reach these goals, the consortium serves to coordinate prevention, treatment, and recovery services. OUD stigma remains a barrier to healthcare. To address this, the consortium has developed and implements education programs for primary care providers and the target population that includes information on the science of addiction and recovery success stories, which have been shown to effectively decrease social and structural stigma. Mentoring programs to support professional development are also active in pharmacy, faith leadership, and expansion of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD).