HEALTH CARE BRIEFS
Advocates demand action as Austin’s drug crisis worsens
DRUG DEATHS INCREASE One year after Travis County declared an opioid epidemic, drug deaths continue to rise.
Drug-related deaths
Fentanyl deaths
BY KATY MCAFEE
Council is also planning on hiring a dedicated full-time sta member to increase harm reduction strategies— those which aim to reduce negative impacts from drug use—in the city, Austin City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes said. Throughout the past year, local leaders tackled the opioid crisis with community outreach programs; educational awareness campaigns; and increased access to overdose-re- versing medication Narcan in bars, vending machines and the pockets of law enforcement o cers. Despite these increased e orts, the 2022 medical examiner’s report released in April showed fentanyl overdoses more than doubled from 2021 to 2022. Overdoses increased dramatically among Hispanic and Black communities as well as women. While Narcan saved hundreds of lives last year—an average of 53 a
2018
It’s been one year since Travis County declared drug deaths a public health crisis, and the numbers have gotten worse, according to Travis County data. Local leaders and activists gathered at the Texas Harm Reduction Alli- ance’s front yard May 24 to commem- orate the lives lost to overdoses and announce a plan for how to spend roughly $3 million the city and county received from opioid settlement funds. City and county o cials will create a small committee of experts to inform them how the settlement funds should be spent, County Judge Andy Brown said. On June 1, the city launched a dash- board with information on how many overdoses are happening locally as well as where residents can get Narcan and other harm reduction resources.
2020 2019 2021 2022
Fentanyl overdoses more than doubled from 2021 to 2022
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SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE COMMUNITY IMPACT
month, according to the THRA—co-Ex- ecutive Director Cate Graziani said it has its weaknesses. For one, Narcan is administered when an overdose is already happening, not before. Plus, o cials have struggled to keep the Narcan vending machines fully stocked due to funding shortages and a lack of streamlined oversight, Graziani said. “It’s no one’s job to replenish the
vending machines,” Graziani said. To e ectively address the opioid crisis, Graziani said leaders need to increase access to preventive tools. However, a Texas bill to legalize fen- tanyl test strips—a tool that Graziani said could dramatically decrease drug deaths—stalled in the Senate Commit- tee on Criminal Justice last month. The test strips remain illegal as they are classi ed as drug paraphernalia.
Texas Oncology adds colon, rectal surgeons to expand local services As recent studies show colon and rectal cancer is increasingly found in younger patients and being diagnosed in more advanced stages, Texas Oncol- ogy has expanded its care by acquiring a group of local surgeons. 60% of colorectal cancer was diagnosed as advanced compared to 52% in the mid-2000s. Plus, 20% of cases occurred in adults younger than age 55, up from 11% in 1999. Thiru Lakshman, president of Central Texas BY DARCY SPRAGUE As colorectal cancer is increasingly found in younger adults and at more advanced stages, Texas Oncology is expanding its Austin-area services. EXPANDING CARE
153,020 new cases of colon and rectal cancer are diagnosed annually nationwide. 1 in 23 men and 1 in 26 women on average will be diagnosed with these cancers in their lifetimes. It is the 3rd leading cause of cancer death in the United States. SOURCE: AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Colon and Rectal Surgeons, said anyone age 45 or older should get screened for cancer—ideally with a colonoscopy. To lower the risk of getting colorectal cancer, he recommends avoiding excessive red meat, smoked meats and alcohol; not smoking; and not living a sedentary lifestyle.
Central Texas Colon and Rectal Surgeons joined Texas Oncology in May. The physicians will now operate under Texas Colon & Rectal Specialists, a subset of Texas Oncology. A study from the American Cancer Society found
COVID 19 strategy shifts as emergency declaration ends
COVID 19 RESPONSE
Austin Public Health is shifting its COVID-19 e orts following the end of the national public health emergency May 11. 1.2 million+ COVID-19 tests were conducted by APH.
BY AMANDA CUTSHALL
and to address changes or elimination of federal or state COVID-19 metrics. APH will continue to o er COVID-19 vaccines through the Shots for Tots and Big Shots clinics as well as the Mobile Vaccination Program’s commu- nity events, APH o cials said. COVID-19 test kits will continue to be available from APH while supplies last.
COVID-19 e orts are shifting from an emergency to a managed response as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the end of the national public health emergency in May. Austin Public Health o cials are nalizing updated COVID-19 dashboards to match the Centers for Disease Control format and Prevention as well as the Texas Department of State Health Services,
10,000+ businesses were monitored to ensure COVID-19 protocols were followed. 404,000+ doses of COVID-19 vaccines were distributed.
SOURCE: AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNITY IMPACT
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