SMART Initiative

Happy retirement, Tommy Farmer! You have been such an incredible leader at TBI, and a tireless communicator of drug trends, facts, concerns, and - most importantly - hope. Thank you for your impactful service!

#MarionCounty is set to review their community #OpioidSettlement grants in April. Also discussed was the robust public awareness effort known as Marion MATTERS (Mending #Addiction through #Treatment, #Education, and #RecoverySupport).

So exciting to tour the new UT Center for Precision Health! It's a truly incredible high-tech facility where multiple UT and community partners will collaborate on many innovative fields, including #SubstanceUseDisorder. Very interested to see what comes next.

Thank you @TNDeptofHealth for inviting us to this invigorating summit of statewide stakeholders (mostly fellow data nerds!) to collaborate and strategize for improving our state's ability to prevent #overdoses! Looking forward to what comes next.

Nice of #DyerCounty #OpioidAbatementCouncil to put out Smarties for the SMARTies! Looking forward to the next steps in the great work being done to overcome the #OverdoseCrisis in #WestTennessee.

The biggest problem with #OpioidAbatement is knowing what services already exist in an area. Today, the #SequatchieCounty Abatement Committee invited local service providers to present and answer questions about their work - a great way to make informed decisions!

What will 2027 look like for SMART? At our team retreat last week, we discussed this and many other pressing topics - including a peak behind the curtain at training to understand high-stress situations for #LawEnforcement. Special thanks to @UT_LEIC!

Listen on Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sma… Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/5qbzONIr0… Listen on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/smart-initiati…

At the 2026 UT #GrandChallenges summit, Dr. Stephen Loyd, Commissioner Marie Williams, and @UTSystemNews President Boyd join SMART's Jennifer Tourville to talk about how we can strengthen communities, improve #CriminalJustice, and fight #addiction in #Tennessee.

Thanks to our expert panelists who discussed the successes and barriers of overcoming #addiction at the 2026 UT #GrandChallenges summit, providing a holistic vision with perspectives from #treatment, #prevention, #RecoverySupport, #HarmReduction, #LawEnforcement and #Pharmacy!

The SMART Initiative is thankful for the support by @UTSystemNews President Boyd, @UT_IPS VP Dr. Herb Byrd, and leadership from the TN #OpioidAbatementCouncil and TDMHSAS. It is our mission to help #Tennessee in the grand challenge of overcoming #addiction! #GrandChallenges

#PredictiveModeling reveals risk causes and effective interventions. Dr. Liem Tran @UTKnoxville is leading SMART, @VanderbiltU, & Metro #Nashville Police Dept. to improve our knowledge of what is and isn't working with #addiction #abatement efforts. Thank you, team!!

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sma…  Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/5qbzONIr0…  Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/smart-initiati… #Tobacco #nicotine #YouthPrevention #smokefree #vapes #TobaccoRetailLicensure @TABC_TN @smokefreenash

Still time to nominate a rising leader for MTAS’s PULSE Strengths-Based Leadership Intensive! Connect, develop skills, and collaborate for state-wide solutions. Nominate a leader today: tiny.utk.edu/pulse-nominati….

A new #Pennsylvania law now ensures that #overdoses treated by #EMS are reported into a statewide data tracking software called the Overdose Information Network (ODIN), accessible to #LawEnforcement and #PublicHealth partners. wgal.com/article/pa-sta…

Know an exceptional leader ready to grow? Nominate them for MTAS’s PULSE Strengths-Based Leadership Intensive! Connect, develop skills, and collaborate for state-wide solutions. Nominate a leader today: tiny.utk.edu/pulse-nominati….

States across the country are increasingly considering #Medicaid section 1115 #Reentry Waivers to cover a range of services, often including #housing. These are state-developed plans, meaning that states have flexibility with how they are designed. healthandreentryproject.org/medicaid-waive…

Deaths have doubled in #Tennessee #prisons, with #fentanyl #overdose being the single largest contributor to the problem. tennessean.com/story/news/202…

Some are self-medicating their #SUD with #psychedelics, including going to unregulated retreats that vary in practice & outcomes. Some have shown good results, but others show an increased risk to participants, especially with regards #recovery. jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…

"#Yoga alongside standard #buprenorphine therapy hastened #opioid #withdrawal #recovery and improved autonomic regulation compared with buprenorphine alone, an early-stage randomized trial in India showed." ow.ly/I2mn50XTpxx