HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. — The number of fatal overdoses appears to be declining in Hamilton County.

This is according to data from the latest Hamilton Counted report, which found that fatal overdoses have decreased by almost 30% compared to 2022.

On Wednesday, we spoke with district leaders and stakeholders about what led to this change.

“Every inch of my life, my entire life, has completely changed.”

It has been five years since Debra Clark lost her 25-year-old son to the opioid crisis.

And two months since she lost her 26-year-old son in the same battle.

Clark now works as a regional overdose prevention specialist with the Hamilton County Coalition.

“I try to involve my boys in my training because I want them to be seen for who they were, not their addiction. Often we are so caught up in the addiction that we don’t see them as people.”

New statistics from the Hamilton Counted report show that fatal overdoses fell by nearly 29% in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2022.

We asked Mayor Weston Wamp’s office about the reason for this trend.

“There are great organizations adapting in real time and trying to figure out how to meet this unprecedented need. Our communities have never seen a crisis like this, and the country has never seen a crisis like the opioid crisis.”

Iris Wellness Group in Chattanooga is launching a new program to make outpatient detox treatment more accessible.

Chris Briasco, Director of Marketing at Iris, says…

“Outpatient detox is a really great option because it removes a lot of barriers to treatment. It’s like inpatient treatment and it’s very effective. It’s a great program.”

According to the Hamilton Counted Report, Narcan distributions by EMS have declined 30% compared to the first half of 2022, which may be due in part to the easier availability of Narcan.

“A lot of it has to do with awareness and availability of naloxone and education and things like that. I think a lot more people are talking about it today than in years past,” Clark says.

This summer, Hamilton County awarded a second round of opioid grants, distributing $264,000 to six local organizations working to end the opioid epidemic.

The full Hamilton Counted report can be found below: