The history of All4Knox begins in 2018 under the direction of Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and former City of Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero. Leaders from the city, county, Metro Drug Coalition, Knox County Health Department, and District Attorney General's Office began meeting to discuss the ways in which they and other agencies could more effectively respond to the opioid epidemic and save lives. These conversations led to the 2018 Mayors' Community Summit: A Community Discussion on Substance Misuse. It became clear that there were many who were already working towards positive change, and just as many that felt their efforts existed in silos. They were operating independently from each other despite their commonly held goal. A framework was needed to organize the multitude of prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
Launched in the summer of 2019, All4Knox was formed with the purpose of streamlining the existing substance misuse response work and creating a cohesive, strategic, multi-sector effort. Organizations and community partners from across the county serve as members of All4Knox through its Implementation Teams, and/or the Overdose Fatality Review Team. From healthcare and recovery housing to the justice system and non-profit organizations: all are impacted by substance misuse, all are needed at the table.
Substance misuse is a community issue. Be part of the solution. Be All4Knox.
To reduce substance misuse and its impact on our community, the work housed in All4Knox is guided by a strategic plan that outlines the issues and gaps most relevant to Knox County. Following the guidance set forth by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - a national substance misuse prevention agency - stakeholders from the nine community sectors convened during All4Knox's planning phase (2019-2020) to develop strategies for their respective sectors, and sector leads identified relevant priorities for an increased focus. These strategies and priorities were published in the first All4Knox Three-Year Strategic Plan in October 2020.
The second edition of the Three-Year Strategic Plan, which will focus on years 2024-2027, is currently under development and will be published in 2024. New goals, new priorities, and new opportunities coming soon.
All4Knox meetings are open to the public. If you plan to attend, please register by emailing all4knox@knoxcounty.org or by clicking, Get Involved.
The Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Team is a multi-sector team with representatives from criminal justice, healthcare, the medical examiner's office, and other community partners. It meets every month to conduct confidential individual case reviews of overdose deaths, identify trends in overdose fatalities, and produce potential overdose response strategies.
The Knox County OFR Team has reconvened and is meeting monthly for case reviews. For more information, contact the OFR Team Facilitator, Ryan Hood at Ryan.Hood@knoxcounty.org.