Tennessees's Regional Prevention Specialist Program.docx

1 Overdose prevention intervention Student name Instructor’s name Institution affiliation Course Date

2 Tennessee’s Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist Program Multiple Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists may be found throughout Tennessee (ROPS). They coordinate efforts to disseminate data, instruction, and naloxone to curb drug overdoses. They emerged in response to the demands posed by the opioid crisis. These are the parts: Joint effort between Vanderbilt University and medical facilities such as urgent care centers, clinics, and hospitals to make it easier for patients to enroll in medical programs. Twenty "Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists" have been hired in thirteen areas of the Volunteer State, and "region-specific resource guides" have been created to aid first responders, those who are at risk of overdosing (including their loved ones), and organizations that help people find treatment and recovery. A drawback of the program is that it provides training across the participant's allotted territory . According to (Khalil et al. 2005), prevention is wiser and cheaper than problem-solving. The ROPS delivered almost 200,000 naloxone units from October 2018 to July 2022. The TDMHSAS estimates that naloxone saved 49,600 deaths during this time. Due to stigma and other factors, the group thinks that more lives have been saved. ROPS trains individuals and organizations on how to recognize overdoses and provide naloxone. There's also information regarding naloxone. This lesson meets Tennessee's Good Samaritan Law standards. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services decides on naloxone eligibility. A person must be in danger of an opioid overdose and unable to receive naloxone via insurance to qualify for this program. No one can offer naloxone for Tennessee Save a Life. A client who may qualify for a naloxone kit may be referred to Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists (ROPS).

3 Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists (ROPS) give free training throughout Tennessee's 94 counties, says (Murawski, 2021). Regional overdose prevention professionals communicate mostly via training. Harm reduction promotes health and reduces sickness by meeting people where they are rather than telling them where they should be. Scientifically proven risk-reduction techniques are vital. Naloxone will be distributed to reverse opioid overdoses. ROPS trains community members how to approach dialogues about drug users by focusing on their unique experiences and viewpoints (Collins, et. al., 2008 ). Other ways to reduce stigma include recognizing unconscious bias, seeing drug usage as a continuum, and recognizing the link between trauma and substance dependence. ROPS's training seminars include the opioid crisis, addiction neurology, compassion fatigue, and naloxone delivery. In the end, having regional overdose prevention specialists is a great way to better care for drug users. The greatest strategy for the future in Tennessee is to invest in education and resources for programs and oversight that make choices based on evidence from addiction brain research and provide community-based alternatives to incarceration. Even if all they do is distribute naloxone and instruct users on its proper use, I believe ROPS will be recognized as one of the first active harm reduction organizations in Tennessee.

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4 References Murawski, A. M. (2021). Tackling Drug Addiction: Tennessee High Impact Areas Program Bi- Annual Report. Khalil, M., Nadrah, H. M., Al-Yahia, O. A., & Al-Segul, A. (2005). Upstream investment in health care: national and regional perspectives. Journal of Family & Community Medicine , 12 (1), 55. Collins, A. B., Bluthenthal, R. N., Boyd, J., & McNeil, R. (2018). Harnessing the language of overdose prevention to advance evidence-based responses to the opioid crisis. International Journal of Drug Policy , 55 , 77-79.