Drug overdose deaths have been steadily increasing in Davidson County since the early 2000's.  In 2013 the community coalition, Davidson County Stop Prescription Abuse Now (DCSPAN), was established and began the work to address the opioid crisis in Davidson County by hosting medicine take back events and promoting the Lock Your Meds campaign.  In 2016, the rate of drug overdose deaths among Davidson County residents began to significantly increase, making Davidson County one of the top counties in the state for drug overdose rates.  Despite the work done by DCSPAN, the opioid crisis continued to evolve as evidenced by the upward trend in overdose deaths and drug overdoses caused by polysubstance use.  

Although drug overdoses and drug poisoning deaths have been a significant issue in Davidson County for more than a decade, lack of resources and general awareness about substance use is a barrier to progress in addressing this priority.  The foundation for action is awareness and education.