Statements

Mission

To prevent and reduce drug misuse and addiction among youth and adults through education, communication, and an awareness of resources.

Background

In May 2018, Wilson County community leaders came together to help fight substance misuse. The need was identified when a loving mother approached our county Mayor because her son had died from a Fentanyl overdose while taking pain medication for a physical ailment. Her story was personal. What had started with a back injury at work and prescribed pain medicine ended with street pills laced with a deadly drug. Mayor Randall Hutto gathered a group of caring professionals and community members and delegated the task of working together to find a way to help address the issue of substance misuse. The coalition was established on June 6, 2018. Mayor Hutto and the coalition presented Lisa Bass Tapley with a resolution on National Overdose Awareness Day to honor the memory of her son Thomas, whose tragedy inspired the coalition to form.

Impact

The coalition has an active membership of over 95 people from 12 sectors of the community, Youth are engaged through YPC WilCo, the youth division of DrugFree WilCo.

Needs

DrugFree WilCo serves all of Wilson County with two full-time staff members. To further our prevention efforts, funding is needed to hire additional staff, fund additional projects, and sustain our Coalition.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Mental Health & Crisis Intervention  - Substance Abuse Dependency, Prevention & Treatment
Secondary Category:	-
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

DrugFree WilCo serves the three cities of Mt. Juliet, Lebanon and Watertown as well as the rural areas of Wilson County, TN. The population estimate is currently 144,000 prior to the 2020 census.

TN - Wilson