In 2023, at least 2,453 overdoses in the Chattanooga area were reversed by naloxone, an antidote to opioids, including fentanyl, self-reporting shows.
In Hamilton County, 186 people died from overdoses through November 2023, according to county data.
The year before, 226 county residents died of overdoses, data shows.
Naloxone, administered with a nasal spray or intramuscular injection and distributed by community organizations and service providers, can block the effect of opioids and restart normal breathing in someone who’s become unresponsive due to an overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.