SMART Initiative

As a statewide group, we don't always get the chance to be in the same room together, but yesterday we had a team retreat in Knoxville to check our progress on goals and make sure we're serving all 95 counties as best as we can. At SMART, we're always thinking ahead!

Wonderful to talk to mayors, aldermen, councilors, finance directors and more at TML's annual conference. Great to also spend some time with Carey Whitworth, VP of Government Relations, Advocacy and Economic Development at UT, when she dropped by the SMART booth!

Preparing communities for updated #overdose response is vital! SMART was thrilled to join #OverdoseResponseStrategy and HIA in a successful tabletop exercise with #Marion and #Sequatchie leaders last week.

Listen here: smartpolicypodcast.buzzsprout.com/2602147/episod… Learn more: richardjbaum.com

Overall, about 88% of jails reported screening everyone for #MentalHealth and 86% for #SubstanceUse, but just 33% of the surveyed facilities said they use tools to divert people with these issues to non-jail settings. ow.ly/L54r50YZOg0

So proud to be a partner to the #OverdoseResponseStrategy ( #ORS ), a shining example of #PublicHealth and #PublicSafety working together! The conference is in St. Louis, Missouri, this year - a city that has worked hard to fight back against #fentanyl. Great work, great people!

#Athens, in #McMinnCounty, is known for a thriving #RecoveryEcosystem of local organizations and programs. Excited to see what comes next in local #OpioidAbatement efforts!

Strong relationships are how small communities make huge impacts. #FentressCounty is seeing what happens when #RecoverySupport meets #CriminalJustice - good things happen.

"This May, the National Association of Counties (NACo) invites the nation's 3,069 counties, parishes and boroughs to participate in #MentalHealth Awareness Month." Check out the county toolkit here: naco.org/MHAM?utm_sourc…

Working with #CountyGovernments certainly has its perks. What a way to finish a day! #CannonCounty #Appalachia

Great to be back at the ETHIA Center for Precision Health alongside UT Knoxville researchers, UT Health Science Center faculty and UT Medical Center clinicians. Excited to see more collaborations bridging science to practice!

UT SMART is proud to be a #Tennessee partner to the #OverdoseResponseStrategy! Incredible work being done bringing together #PublicHealth and #PublicSafety - excellent to see their work getting strong recognition. whitehouse.gov/briefings-stat…

We were pleased to join Kathleen Collins of the Overdose Response Strategy in #ShelbyCounty. Some incredible people doing amazing work in the greater #Memphis area. Staying prepared for #overdose spikes and having a plan ready can make all the difference with saving lives!

Excellent look into the Knox Regional Forensic Center, @MetroDrug, and Knoxville Police Dept. and how #PublicHealth and #PublicSafety can work together to stay on top of new dangerous drugs - like #cychlorphine. nytimes.com/2026/05/04/hea…

"Days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to speed up research into #ibogaine and other #psychedelic drugs to treat #veterans with #MentalHealth conditions, #Tennessee lawmakers signed a bill to allow #ClinicalTrials." ow.ly/W8Jw50YRFWL

Last week, Data Analyst Ellen Oakes and Trevor Henderson led a meeting at the Center for Precision Health with community partners to find ways to improve #data for #OverdosePrevention. Thanks to DJ Gering for sharing #polysubstance analysis from Kansas - very informative!

The HEALing Communities Study found that partnering with a local #coalition significantly increased the uptake of #overdose training and #naloxone distribution in county jails. Learn more about this strategy here: …5-4e3f-918a-f200d334cf83.usrfiles.com/ugd/9f7bf4_64f…

The SMART Advisory Council met last month to discuss the latest in #overdose prevention. Representing the full #RecoveryEcosystem, these experts help us spot gaps and focus where it matters most. Grateful for their time, passion, and expertise helping Tennessee.

Special thanks to Lt. Mike Hotz for presenting at the #MauryCounty #Prevention Conference. Amazing work from the Maury County Prevention Coalition for this resource guide! Love the aesthetic.

There is nothing like the #RxSummit for collaboration, networking, sharing ideas, and launching new projects - not to mention the opportunity to have fun with colleagues who work hard every day to overcome the #OverdoseCrisis.