Table of Contents
Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a city that prides itself on its southern charm and hospitality. Nestled along the banks of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga’s downtown is filled with historical attractions, including the Walnut Street Bridge and Lookout Mountain. The city is also home to more than 600 acres of parks and recreation areas and has a thriving arts community.
However, despite Chattanooga’s beautiful scenery and rich cultural history, substance abuse treatment in Chattanooga is a clear need and an issue that affects many residents in this area.
The city has one of the highest rates of prescription drug abuse in the country, with more than two million pills being sold each year illegally. The opioid epidemic has hit this city hard, and it’s estimated that one out of every three people in Chattanooga is prescribed painkillers.
According to local news reports, there were 1,927 overdoses in Chattanooga between 2009 and 2013. Of these overdoses, 90% involved opiate-based medication — such as hydrocodone or oxycodone — which are commonly prescribed for pain management following surgery or an injury.
Unfortunately, things have gotten much worse for Chattanooga. In 2018 alone, the city reported over 1,400 cases of overdose. Over 90% of these cases required Narcan, the emergency medication used when someone overdoses on opioids.
The story in Chattanooga is all too familiar – a community ravaged by prescription painkillers ultimately segues to heroin when availability becomes an issue.
The opioid epidemic in Chattanooga has reached a crisis point.
Overdose deaths from opioids have more than doubled in the past decade and continue to rise at an alarming rate. In 2017, there were 205 confirmed opioid-related deaths in Chattanooga, a 57 percent increase from 2016.
The vast majority of these overdose deaths are due to heroin or fentanyl. But how did the prescription opioid problem in Chattanooga get so bad, and when did the problem change to heroin and fentanyl?
Prescription opioids like Oxycontin were first introduced into the U.S. market in the late 1990s as a safer alternative to traditional painkillers like morphine, codeine, and oxycodone. They were marketed as non-addictive, even though evidence showed they had similar effects on the body as heroin and cocaine when taken in large doses or over long periods.
Many cities and small towns across America dealt with the collateral damage caused by Oxycontin, but in Chattanooga, the effect was particularly devastating.
The city of Chattanooga has had a long history with the opioid crisis. Recently, a study was conducted by researchers at UTC to determine what role the drug played in the opioid epidemic. The researchers found that between 1999 and 2016, prescriptions for painkillers quadrupled in Tennessee. While there are many factors contributing to this increase, one of them is the introduction of OxyContin into the market by Purdue Pharma in 1995.
OxyContin is the brand name for the pain killer “oxycodone hydrochloride. It comes in tablet form and is an extended-release medication meaning that patients don’t need to take it every few hours as other opioids do.
This allows them to take less frequently than they would with other drugs such as morphine or Vicodin, which are only available in immediate-release forms and must be taken every few hours for relief from pain.
OxyContin was first approved by the FDA in 1995 after being tested for safety on animals but not humans until 1997 when Phase III clinical trials began over six months before approval was granted. Eventually, instant release forms such as Roxicodone and OxyIR would join Oxycontin on the pharmaceutical market.
Unfortunately, some doctors began to see Oxycontin as a quick fix for their patients’ ailments and began prescribing it without first looking at other treatment options. This created a dangerous situation where people who didn’t even need Oxycontin were getting addicted to it through no fault of their own.
Many people who became addicted to Oxycontin did so simply because they had received a prescription from their doctor when they probably wouldn’t have even qualified for a mild opioid such as Hydrocodone elsewhere. It didn’t take long before Chattanooga had an epidemic on its hands.
In 2007 alone, 948 Tennesseans died from overdoses involving prescription opioids like OxyContin, with nearly a quarter of those deaths in Chattanooga alone, a city of less than 200,000.
According to data from IMS Health, by 2010, oxycodone was among the most prescribed medications nationwide, with doctors writing out almost 200 million prescriptions each year. Demands from outraged citizens eventually led to prosecution and arrest, and many of the pill mills that churned out deadly opioids were shut down.
Instead of eliminating the problem, this created a vacuum in the drug market, which the Mexican drug cartels were glad to fill. The fentanyl epidemic quickly made its way into Chattanooga and continues to grow in severity.
However, the city has taken a firm stance against opioid sources, including tighter restrictions on prescription pills and adapting to the challenges caused by fentanyl.
Chattanooga’s Opioid Task Force was established in 2016 to develop strategies for addressing the opioid addiction issue within the city. The task force includes representatives from law enforcement, health care providers, local government, and other organizations.
The group meets regularly to discuss steps that can be taken to improve access to treatment services and reduce opioid overdose deaths. They also study best practices from other cities that have experienced similar problems with opioid addiction.
In addition to improving access to treatment services, Chattanooga has taken steps to reduce the availability of prescription opioids by limiting how many pills doctors can prescribe at one time and requiring all prescriptions for opioids to be transmitted electronically for easier tracking. Pharmacies have also agreed not to sell any more than a three-day supply of opioids without a doctor’s permission or prescription refill authorization.
Chattanooga is also working with neighboring areas to share resources and develop better treatment solutions. For example, Hamilton County Hospital has agreed to use their pharmacy for distributing Naloxone kits at no cost to anyone who needs them.
The city has also been working on developing programs for drug users who want help but don’t have insurance or access to other resources available through traditional treatment methods. Chattanooga has been working with local police departments and other agencies to get these programs off the ground and make them as accessible as possible for those who need them most.
The Chattanooga Police Department recently launched an initiative called “Operation Safe Streets.” This program is designed to crack down on illegal drug activity in the city by targeting high-crime areas and arresting those involved with drug trafficking.
The police department also participates in the U.S Department of Justice’s National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) program, which provides data and analysis on local drug trends.
There has been an increase in people using methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, and other medications to treat their addiction. Naloxone is used to reverse opioid overdoses and is available at no cost through the Hamilton County Health Department.
The Hamilton County Health Department offers free services for those who want help with substance abuse problems. The addiction treatment program includes counseling, medication-assisted treatment, case management, and relapse prevention education.
For those suffering from opioid addiction, there are other resources available in Chattanooga to help them get clean and sober again. One such resource is the Hamilton County Mental Health Center (MHC), which provides outpatient mental health services for adults 18 years old or older in Hamilton County, TN, or Bradley County, TN.
The recent attention toward providing help for substance abuse issues makes Chattanooga a fantastic option for anyone traveling to Tennessee for rehab. Finding employment and housing should be more accessible if you’re making a permanent move.
The Chattanooga economy is diversified, with the top three sectors of manufacturing, transportation, logistics, and healthcare. The city has several large employers, including Volkswagen Group of America, Community Health Systems, Unum Group, and Amazon.
The city’s unemployment rate is 3.2%, lower than the national average (4.1%). However, the overall cost of living in Chattanooga is higher than the national average ($69,300 vs. $59,900).
The average home price in Chattanooga is $232K which is higher than the national average ($217K). The median list price per square foot in this area is $115/sq. Ft.
Chattanooga has a variety of neighborhoods ranging from historic downtown to modern residential areas with easy access to shopping malls and restaurants. There are plenty of parks and recreation centers for families with kids to enjoy outdoor activities such as biking or hiking trails.
The city is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, with some of the country’s best hiking and biking trails. It offers easy access to nearby mountains like Signal Mountain and Lookout Mountain, popular destinations for hikers and mountain bikers alike.
Chattanooga has an excellent public school system with four high schools and twenty-one elementary schools in its school district.
If you’re struggling with substance abuse, don’t put your recovery on hold. Rehabs Of Armerica is your single source solution for substance abuse treatment centers in Chattanooga and other cities.
Edward lives and works in South Florida and has been a part of its recovery community for many years. With a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts, he works to help Find Addiction Rehabs as both a writer and marketer. Edward loves to share his passion for the field through writing about addiction topics, effective treatment for addiction, and behavioral health as a whole. Alongside personal experience, Edward has deep connections to the mental health treatment industry, having worked as a medical office manager for a psychiatric consortium for many years.
