Shelby County is responding to the recent increase in drug overdoses with street-level outreach at multiple locations today (5.19.20) through Saturday through S.T.O.P. (Street Team for Overdose Prevention).
Yesterday, the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) issued a new overdose spike alert for the 33-day period from April 13th to May 15th. In that period there were a total of 437 suspected overdose events, 68 of which were fatal, according to Joan Carr, public information officer for the SCHD.
S.T.O.P. will provide free overdose reversal kits, including Naloxone (Narcan), treatment resources at the following locations, dates and times:
Tuesday, May 19
- 3360 N. Watkins Street, 4 to 8 p.m.
- 2760 S. Perkins Road, 4 to 8 p.m.
- 3362 S. 3rd Street, 4 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, May 20
- 1590 Sycamore View Road, 4 to 8 p.m.
- 28 N. Claybrook Street, 1 to 3 p.m.
- 3628 Summer Avenue, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 21
- 3360 N. Watkins Street, 4 to 8 p.m.
- 2760 S. Perkins Road, 4 to 8 p.m.
- 3362 S. 3rd Street, 4 to 8 p.m.
Friday, May 22
- 1590 Sycamore View Road, 4 to 8 p.m.
- 28 N. Claybrook Street, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- 3628 Summer Avenue, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 23
- 1590 Sycamore View Road, 1 to 6 p.m.
- 28 N. Claybrook Street, 1 to 6 p.m.
- 3628 Summer Avenue, 1 to 6 p.m.
- 3360 N. Watkins Street, 1 to 6 p.m.
- 2760 S. Perkins Road, 1 to 6 p.m.
- 3362 S. 3rd Street, 1 to 6 p.m.
All locations will provide overdose reversal kits and treatment resources, but needle exchange services will be available at Sycamore View, Claybrook, and Summer Avenue locations only.
Joining with S.T.O.P is the Shelby County Opioid Task Force, the SCHD, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office to plan the county-wide response to the recent unprecedented increase in drug overdoses, both fatal and non-fatal, in the community.
“While the COVID-19 crisis is very troubling and challenging for our county, we are also still in the middle of an opioid epidemic,” said Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. “Opioid overdoses have grown dramatically over the last few years across our state. The rural areas of our state have been hard-hit, but so has Memphis and Shelby County. Unfortunately, it’s getting worse. That’s why we must all do our part to be watchful and report any signs of overdose to 911. Our first responders are prepared to provide immediate treatment, such as access to Narcan, which can reverse and overdose and save lives. Shelby County is prepared to provide supports for long-term recovery.”
The SCHD monitors drug overdose activity in Shelby County by tracking incidents reported by first responder organizations and the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center in a database called ODMAP. ODMAP allows SCHD to collect both suspected fatal and non-fatal overdose activity, in real time across jurisdictions in Shelby County.
The Health Department shares information about suspected overdose events with partnering agencies and the Shelby County Opioid Task Force. The SCHD maintains a webpage on its website www.shelbytnhealth.com, with information about opioids, including overdose data, which is updated each Friday.
