NASHVILLE – Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam today honored 23 state employees who are helping Tennessee lead by providing outstanding state services every day. The employees, who were nominated by their departments’ leadership for the Governor’s Excellence in Service Awards, were invited to attend a luncheon at the Tennessee Residence for providing efficient and effective service to the state and their fellow Tennesseans. “The employees honored today are on the forefront of improving how Tennessee state government delivers services,” Haslam said. “By exceeding leadership and customer expectations, creating innovative solutions or improving processes and services, these state employees are helping provide taxpayers with the highest quality service at the lowest possible cost.”

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today praised the Commission on Pain and Addiction Medicine Education for identifying core competencies for Tennessee’s medical education institutions to ensure future doctors, nurses, dentists and other prescribers receive in-class training on how to best manage patient pain and properly treat addiction in response to the state’s opioid epidemic. Haslam established the 19-member commission by executive order in January as part of the TN Together plan to fight opioid addiction in Tennessee. The commission submitted a report to the governor outlining 12 competencies for health care educators, as well as strategies to assure they are successfully adopted.

MARYVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today signed legislation to support TN Together, the governor’s aggressive and comprehensive plan to end the opioid crisis in Tennessee through three key areas – prevention, treatment and law enforcement. “This legislation is a major step in helping fight this epidemic by limiting the supply of opioids and providing resources to provide treatment for those addicted,” Haslam said in a ceremonial bill signing at the Blount Memorial Hospital. “I am proud to sign the TN Together legislation today and I thank the members of the 110th General Assembly for their commitment to addressing this crisis. Opioid addition affects the entire state in some form, and with this comprehensive plan I feel confident that we can make a difference in the lives of Tennesseans.”