Hundreds of people attended a two-day summit at the University of Tennessee to address the opioid crisis.
Speakers all had a similar message on Thursday: Too many people are being lost to the opioid crisis, and it's only going to get worse without uniting forces.
Jan Clift is the survivor of a drug-related crime and was one of 500 who came to UT's Summit for Opioid Addiction and Response.
"My heart is broken because there's too many people out there that need help," Clift said.
Six years ago, Clift was shot in the head while working at her pharmacy job.
"There was four of us in there. And he killed the gentlemen in there," she said.
Clift said the shooter was an addict, and the crime caused her years of PTSD. It also caused her to take action and get passionate about curbing the opioid crisis.
"So many people want help. They don't know where to go or where to turn," she said.
UT Interim President Randy Boyd said UT brought people in from Memphis to Jonesboro who are passionate about finding solutions to the crisis.
Some alarming trends were shared at the summit.
The TBI said the average life expectancy in Tennessee has decreased for two years straight because of drug overdoses. On top of that, the amount of fentanyl submitted to its crime lab has skyrocketed from 106 in 2015 to more than 1,200 in 2019.
"The opioid crisis is across the state," Boyd said. "One of the most important things that we're learning today is that addiction is a disease, and we need to eliminate the stigma. If we don't do that, it's going to be hard to treat the disease."
The disease is one Clift is determined to cure.
"We all need help sometimes. So let's be that one that can help them," she said.
The summit continues on Friday and will feature Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. The two have been working on a plan to curb addiction locally in Knox County.
Knox County has already seen 145 suspected overdose deaths this year. The District Attorney General's office said that includes 15 in July.
Last year, there were almost 300 suspected overdose deaths in Knox County.