Goal #1

According to Shelby County Health Department’s Q1 statistics for 2018, more than 100 people have already overdosed due to opioid addiction. We strive to reduce that number drastically by educating our community.

Goal #2

More than half of the people who overdose due to opioids each year are men. Our goal is to help men discover new ways of recovering from drug addiction of all types.

Goal #3

Since nearly half of the addiction sufferers are women, another goal is to teach coping and recovery skills aimed exclusively at women.

Goal #4

The use of Naloxone as a means of recovery has already improved the number of opioid-related overdoses. Our goal is to educate addicts regarding better choices for drug-related recovery.

Goal #5

Extensive caregiver training across Shelby County for family members of loved ones who suffer the various addictions is a primary concern.

According to 2018 CDC statistics, prescription opioids, fentanyl, and heroin are the three drugs responsible for almost all opioid-related deaths. A host of drugs fall into one of these three categories, some legal prescriptions, and others illegal drugs. More than two-thirds of all drug overdoses are related to one of these three drugs, so the need for alternative recovery options has never been more critical.

One of the most successful options to date is Naloxone, according to the Shelby County Health Department’s statistics for 2017 and 2018. More than half of all patients treated with this drug have shown marked improvement, meaning that we can help our area save lives. Each life is special, each person has a purpose, and even those addicted to opioids deserve all the help that we can give them so that they have an opportunity for a better life. See the following two pages for graphs and bar data related to Shelby County’s Health Department findings this year so far.

We will start by providing case management and similar services for residents of the Shelby County, TN area, so that they can have access to basic needs for themselves and family members. It is our goal to work in cooperation with local and federal aid agencies on behalf of each patient and his/her family.

In addition to meeting fundamental needs, we will strive to provide education and training so that each recovered individual can face the next phase of life with hope and determination. This includes training for marketable job skills and other forms of secondary and/or trade school education.

Since most people become addicts due to home environment as children, we will work toward educating the next generation regarding opioid addiction—and alternatives to drug use. This will drastically reduce the number of children who grow up to become addicts in the future. Education is powerful!

Due to the larger percentage of deaths in whites vs blacks in both 2017 and 2018, whites had a slightly wider age range. In Q1 of 2017, the age range in whites was between 20 and 68 years, and the mean age was 39 years. The Q1 2017 age range in blacks was between 21 and 61 years, and the mean age was slightly older at ~44 year. The median age for both blacks and whites in 2017 was 37.5 years. In Q1 of 2018, the age range in whites was between 22 and 64 years, the mean age was 43.1 years, and the median age was 41 years. The Q1 2018 age range in blacks was between 28 and 60 years, the mean age was slightly older at 44.1 years, and the median age was 40 years.

Similar to the Opioid Overdose deaths from previous years in Shelby County,
suspected overdose-related deaths occurred mostly in white males in both Q1 years (45% in 2017, and 57% in 2018). A majority of the deaths in Shelby County were represented by males in both years, consisting of 65% in Q1 2017 and 77% in Q1 2018. Females only represented 35% of deaths in Q1 2017, and an even smaller percentage in Q1 2018 at 23%.

Figure 6: WTRFC Preliminary Suspected Overdose Deaths – Shelby County, TN Q1 2017 and 2018. Prepared by Shelby County Health Department Epidemiology Section.

Figure 7: WTRFC Preliminary Suspected Overdose Deaths – Shelby County, TN Q1 2017 and 2018. Prepared by Shelby County Health Department Epidemiology Section.

Naloxone Administrations by the Memphis Fire Department Emergency Medical Services – Memphis, TN Q1 2017 and 2018 Comparison

The Shelby County Health Department received Naloxone Administration data from the Memphis Fire Department (MFD) Emergency Medical Services Dispatch (EMS). This data consists of all Naloxone administrations in probable opioid overdosed patients (patients whose condition improved after Naloxone was administered to them) within the jurisdiction of the MFD. This does not include Naloxone administrations for all of Shelby County.

From January 1, 2017 through March 2018, of the total 3167 Naloxone administrations given by the MFD, there were 1597 Naloxone administrations in probable opioid overdosed patients (Naloxone improved the condition of 50.4% of the MFD patients that it was administered to).