In northeast Tennessee, the rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome — a set of problems infants face when withdrawing from drugs they were exposed to before birth — is five times the national rate. And 80 percent of crimes in Tennessee involve drugs.
The Holy Friendship Summit, held in May, 2018, was an attempt to engage Christians in “healing the heart of Southern Appalachia.” That goal might sound simplistic, but it was an example of how faith communities are responding to the crisis: offering a place where those struggling with addiction can be known, loved and embraced on the way to recovery.