Tennessee’s behavioral-health department lists the REDLINE at 800-889-9789 for free, confidential addiction-treatment and substance-use referrals by call or text. Use it to ask about options; a separate provider admissions conversation is needed to confirm a particular program. Tennessee: behavioral health contacts.
Begin with the scope of the request
Explain that you are looking for treatment information in Middle Tennessee and identify the practical limits that matter, such as your home area or the need to understand payment options. If you are helping someone else, say so. Ask what the referral service can clarify and which questions need to go to a clinician or receiving provider.
Do not confuse the state’s different contacts
The state page separately lists its general helpline, crisis information and licensing contacts. Choose the published route that matches your purpose. REDLINE’s referral role should not be read as a reserved placement, an insurance decision or emergency medical care. Our support-resources page identifies urgent public contacts separately. Tennessee: behavioral health contacts.
Turn a referral into a confirmed next action
When you receive a provider name, ask whether the service will connect you or whether you should make the next call. Record the relevant location and the type of inquiry. At the receiving organization, establish the assessment process and verify any financial or scheduling details rather than relying on the referral alone.
Compare answers using the same question
If you contact more than one service, ask each the same practical questions about assessment, location and payment. Note which answers are confirmed and which depend on a later decision. A comparison is useful when it exposes a missing answer; the first or fastest response should not become a clinical recommendation.
A general concern may belong with another state contact
The Tennessee contact page lists a broader helpline at 800-560-5767 separately from REDLINE. REDLINE is identified for addiction-treatment and substance-use referrals. Give the nature of the inquiry in ordinary language and ask which route fits. A state helpline is not the admissions desk of the eventual program, and its administrative location should not be used as the destination for an assessment. Tennessee: behavioral health contacts.
A useful referral includes a way to return
When a recommended organization cannot help, ask whether you should return to REDLINE or another contact. Keep a short record of why the connection failed without trying to interpret a clinical decision yourself. For example, “The receiving office says it does not provide the requested assessment” tells the next caller more than “the referral did not work.” Ask the receiving team to explain any unfamiliar terminology.
Your planning record
Use this editorial worksheet to keep confirmed details separate from questions still awaiting an answer.
| Detail to resolve | What to record | Who can confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Referral request | Area, concern and practical constraints | You and REDLINE |
| Handoff | Organization, contact and who calls next | Referral specialist |
| Program confirmation | Assessment process and financial contact | Receiving provider |
For the wider local picture, return to our Nashville & Brentwood care guide. For the shared preparation steps, read preparing for a first conversation about care.
Sources and scope
These guides bring together published resources and original editorial planning examples. Hypothetical calculations are labeled and their assumptions are shown. Public listings do not establish current openings, individual eligibility, insurance payment or clinical outcomes.
No named clinician has reviewed this guide. It covers general service navigation and logistics; it does not recommend an individual treatment setting. Source checks are editorial checks, not clinical review.
- Tennessee: behavioral health contacts · Public-agency guidance · Checked .
The worksheets organize questions; they are not validated assessment tools. Read our source and correction standards.