Rachel Rhoden
Rachel Rhoden always knew she wanted to help people. After five years working in probation, the recovery court coordinator job in the First Judicial District came open, and she jumped at the opportunity. It's clear she's passionate about the changes she sees in people working the program.
"These last two years have been the absolute best. It's just indescribable, taking someone along the steps and walking with them, getting their license back, gaining custody, or visitation
Two Men Sentenced in Fatal Fentanyl Overdose of Bristol, Tenn. Woman
Two people will serve prison time for giving fentanyl, a potent painkiller, to a Bristol, Tennessee, woman who overdosed and died in 2017. Mario Ambrosio Lewis, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Greeneville and will serve 20 years in federal prison. Lewis previously pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl to Calvin Richard Campbell, 39, who admitted to Bristol police that he provided the drug to his niece. Campbell, who is currently serv
Centerstone Officials Say New Budget to Force Closure of the Living Room Addiction Program
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- On Tuesday night, Louisville Metro Council passed a new budget that leaves some city services with little or no funding. One of those organizations is Centerstone. It's taking a major hit, and while it isn't closing entirely, one of its programs will. The Living Room, a mental health and addiction program in downtown Louisville, has no money to operate for the next year. Mike Kolb, co-president of CLOUT, said he is saddened that the council, "chose a
Addicts Say Court Program 'Saved Our Lives'
David Every Senior, an Army veteran, hadn't been sober for years. "I just hit bottom. I had nothing. No bank account. No family support," he said. Crack cocaine was his drug. For Mikey Kline, there wasn't just one. "I thought throughout the years that I was quitting things but all I was doing was replacing one drug for another drug," Kline said. He started using at age 14. He was 85 pounds lighter when on meth. "Menace. I guess I was a menace," he said. "I was worth nothing t
Fox 13 Memphis’ Kirstin Garriss Sat down with Turning Point ahead of Our Discussion about the Opioid
Fox 13 Memphis’ Kirstin Garriss sat down with Turning Point ahead of our discussion about the opioid crisis and solutions for the future. We examine this year’s opioid overdose numbers compared to last. Check out the story here. https://www.facebook.com/addictioncampuses/videos/870016070028116/UzpfSTE2MTM2ODU2Mjk6MTAyMTczODk2MzI1MjU0NjA/?__tn__=-R
Opioid Scripts Are Down, Overdoses Remain the Same
The Tennessee Medical Association says a new report shows a 13.3% decrease in opioid prescriptions in the state beween 2017 and 2018. Figures from IQVIA, which uses prescription information to measure market and product demand, also shows Tennessee has seen a 32.3% drop in prescriptions for opioids since 2013. The TMA says the data shows Tennessee did a little better than the national average in curbing opioid prescriptions during a recent 12-month period, and is on par with
Memphis Nonprofit Starting Program to Allow Drug Users to Exchange Dirty Needles for Clean Ones
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A nonprofit in Memphis is starting a syringe service program in the next few weeks. The program will allow drug users to turn in used needles in exchange for clean ones. Data from the Shelby County Health Department shows that from the beginning of 2019 to May 25, 96 people died from overdoses. Ron Bobal decided to form a nonprofit after his son died from an overdose on Christmas three years ago. The nonprofit is called “Beteor Way” and focuses on raising awa
Chattanooga Police Arrest Man in Connection to May Overdose Death
A 24-year-old man was arrested earlier this month after a grand jury indicted him on second-degree murder charges connected to a fatal overdose. Eric L. Williams Jr. sold methamphetamine to a person on May 6, Chattanooga police narcotics investigators allege. The person died that same day, and the Hamilton County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed the cause of death to be methamphetamine overdose. That incident is not connected to the four fatal overdoses that took pla
Some Providers Named in State’s Opana Suit Are Still Practicing
Between 2007-2014, Knoxville providers prescribed 916,513 more Opana Extended Release tablets than in all of New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago put together — cities with a combined population 82 times larger than Knoxville. In 2015, Tennessee's rate of prescriptions for Opana ER and its generic equivalent were the nation's highest, nearly double that of the second-highest state, North Carolina. Those are only two facts the state of Tennessee cites in its lawsuit against
Lawsuit: Red Flags Were Ignored
Sales reps pushing painkiller Opana looked other way amid signs of fraud and drug dealing, AG says The line at Dr. Abdelrahman Mohamed’s pain clinic snaked down the hall, out the door and sometimes into the parking lot, full of patients with cash in fists. Federal agents knew Mohamed, the owner of Hamblen Neuroscience Center in Morristown, as the “drive-through doctor” who signed an average of 60 prewritten prescriptions for pain pills per day. Sales reps for Endo Pharmaceuti