Data from the state indicated that in 2022, there were nearly 3,000 overdose deaths linked to fentanyl in the state — and young children are increasingly affected by overdoses.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The number of overdoses involving fentanyl has continued to rise in Tennessee.
The latest data from the state shows nearly 3,000 overdoses in 2022. The problem has increasingly affected one of Tennessee’s most vulnerable populations: children. Pamela Sessions, CEO of residential treatment center Renewal House, told News 2 that the facility has a waiting list.
“Renewal House is capable of housing 34 women at one time — and their children,” Sessions said. “We’re generally full most of the time.”
Renewal House has been considered a safe space, not only for women, but for children as well. Coming out of addiction and leading a life of recovery is the organization’s goal. Many times, residents leave behind environments that could quickly turn deadly.
“It’s very frightening that children even have access to obtain substances,” Sessions said.
According to state data, the number of children under the age of 18 who have died from a drug overdose has continued to rise year after year. While most of the deaths are teenagers, babies and toddlers have increasingly been at risk.
“We know younger children are very inquisitive and we really have to be very focused and serious when we care for our children,” Sessions added.
One of the latest arrests happened this week. The Metro Nashville Police Department announced that 46-year-old Tawona Pickens-Johnson was arrested in Florida. The case was linked to a March 2023 incident, after her one-year-old niece was found unconscious at their north Nashville home. Investigators later revealed that the child was exposed to fentanyl while in Pickens-Johnson’s care.
“If they are in active addiction, their children potentially can pick up or ingest or take a substance that they didn’t intend for them to have,” Sessions said.
So far in 2024, the Metro Nashville Police Department has announced at least six arrests linked to a children under the age of two dying of fentanyl exposure.
Sessions said that Renewal House takes extra care to work with children, helping them understand and recognize the dangers of drugs.
Metro police said that coordination between the department’s Youth Services Division and the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force eventually led them to Tallahassee, Florida, where Pickens-Johnson was taken into custody. She is expected to be returned to Nashville soon.