The TN Department of Health is launching a new publicity campaign this week called The Faces of the Opioid Crisis. They state, “As you all know, Tennessee is among the hardest-hit states when it comes to the opioid epidemic. The story of its impact is often told in numbers: 1,268 opioid overdose deaths in Tennessee in 2017; more than six million painkiller prescriptions in our state in 2018. But behind the numbers are people – the Tennesseans bearing the devastating impacts of this crisis.”
These stories of these Tennesseans are being shared to put a face on the epidemic and to highlight what people are doing in every county and community of our state to bring it to an end. Each of the 90 counties across the state of Tennessee will have ONE spokesperson known as the FACE of their county, a person with a personal connection to the opioid epidemic.
It is with pride that we share with you that TWO of our amazing TND staff members have been selected for this campaign.
- Kecia Harris, Family Recovery Specialist, is the FACE of the Opioid Crisis for Robertson County
- April Barnes, Director of Outreach, is the FACE of the Opioid Crisis for Cheatham county
Starting soon and over the next year, there will be a state-wide PR effort to spread the word about the deadly disease of opioid addiction and put a “face” to this important issue impacting our state. Don’t be surprised if you see our very own Kecia or April on billboards, TV commercials, etc., in addition to the signage you see in our lobby today.
Click on this link to read more of Kecia and April’s powerful stories: https://www.tn.gov/tnfacesofopioids