RESPONDING TO AN OPIOID OVERDOSE
Being able to identify an overdose as soon as possible is crucial to a person’s health and survival and can be identi ed through: IDENTIFY SMALL, CONSTRICTED
RESPOND
1 Call 911 immediately. 2 Administer naloxone (available over the counter) INTRAVENOUS: Doses should be administered under the skin or into a muscle NASAL SPRAY: • Tilt person’s head back and support the neck • Insert tip of nozzle into one nostril • Press the plunger rmly to give dose of naloxone 3 Try to keep the person awake and breathing. 4 Lay the person on their side to prevent choking. 5 Stay with the person until emergency assistance arrives.
“PINPOINT PUPILS” FALLING ASLEEP OR LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS
Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference Sept. 21 about increased fentanyl activity.
“MOST INDIVIDUALS WHO SUFFER A FENTANYL RELATED DEATH PROBABLY DID NOT KNOW THEY WERE INGESTING THE DEADLY DRUG. MANY OF THOSE WHO WERE POISONED UNWITTINGLY INGESTED DEADLY COUNTERFEITS THAT APPEARED TO BE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, WHICH WERE ACQUIRED OUTSIDE OF THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.” GOV. GREG ABBOTT IN A LETTER TO STATE AGENCIES
SLOW, WEAK OR NO BREATHING CHOKING OR GURGLING SOUNDS LIMP BODY COLD AND OR CLAMMY SKIN DISCOLORED SKIN ESPECIALLY IN LIPS AND NAILS
overdosed and survived. The CPPD has encountered fentanyl 200-300 times over the last three years, Miller said. Since 2020, there have been about 50 overdoses in Cedar Park, 13 of which were fatal. “We’ve seen so many serious events,” Miller said, citing an incident where three di erent individuals split a pill containing fentanyl that led to overdoses and one of them dying. Miller said there is a lesser conse- quence for people caught using fen- tanyl illegally. Instead, he said law enforcement’s focus is on nding the drug’s source and distributors. When law enforcement receives a report of fentanyl-related activity, they respond to the scene and speak with residents involved. After acquiring information, an investigation into the source or distributor begins. A case involving distribution of fen- tanyl warrants a federal investigation, and the o ender is looking at any- where from a 20-year sentence to life in prison, Miller said. “Trying to prevent the deaths, trying to prevent overdose deaths—that’s our rst focus,” he said. “Then, [we are] doing everything we can to dismantle the organizations that are bringing the pills in and distributing them here in Cedar Park and around the region.” Since 2020, Vann said the LPD has worked directly with the Cedar Park, P ugerville, Georgetown, Austin and San Marcos police departments along with the Texas Department of Pub- lic Safety and the Drug Enforcement Administration on cases involving fen- tanyl sales—and will continue to do so in the future. The LPD and the CPPD have also
partnered with LISD to regulate fen- tanyl-related activities throughout the school district. The police departments work to help spread awareness about fentanyl and provide enforcement if the drug makes its way on campuses. Educating students and parents Like many parts of Austin, the Lake Travis and Westlake area has not been immune to problems caused by fen- tanyl poisoning. Austin resident Carilu Bell said she hopes to raise awareness surrounding fentanyl and the stigma attached to the word “overdose” following the death of her son, Casey Copeland. Copeland was a certi ed personal trainer who spent most of his time around Lake Travis, Bell said. Copeland died in August 2021 from taking what he thought was Valium but turned out to be fentanyl. “My son would have never taken that pill if he knew it was laced with fentanyl,” Bell said. “Casey did not want to die.” Bell, along with Austin resident Ste- fanie Turner, formed the nonpro t group Texas United Against Fentanyl in fall 2021 after Copeland’s death. Turner also lost her son, 19-year-old Tucker Roe, to fen- tanyl poisoning last September. “When our boys died, no one was talking about fentanyl,” Turner said. “Law enforcement agencies were just beginning to grasp the severity of it.” Bell and Turner have been working with school districts and police depart- ments in the Lake Travis and Westlake area to raise awareness about fentanyl use; their hope is to engage students before they start using the drugs,
SOURCES: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY COMMUNITY IMPACT
BEE CAVE RECOVERY 1114 Lost Creek Blvd., Ste. G-40, Austin 737-222-5155 www.beecaverecovery.org CHANGES ROCK SPRINGS 1335 E. Whitestone Blvd., Ste. 200, Cedar Park 737-808-1700 www.changescedarpark.com MARLON GATLEY ASSOCIATION CRISIS INTERVENTION 1202 Lakeway Drive, Ste. 113, Lakeway 512-354-1272 www.mariongatleyassociation.com RECOVERY UNPLUGGED AUSTIN 5419 S. Congress Ave., Austin 855-657-5815 www.recoveryunplugged.com SAGE RECOVERY & WELLNESS 7004Bee Caves Road, Bldg. 2, Ste. 200, Austin 512-643-7508 TRAVIS COUNTY MOBILE CRISIS OUTREACH TEAM 4110 Guadalupe St., Austin 512-472-4357 FINDING SUPPORT There are a number of organizations and facilities in the Lake Travis and Westlake area that provide treatment for those struggling with substance abuse. The following list is not comprehensive.
Turner said. Bell said the Lakeway Police Depart- ment and other law enforcement agen- cies and school o cials in the Lake Travis area have been very receptive to their message; she and Turner hope to start presenting in schools soon so they can reach students and their parents, she said. In addition to helping Lake Travis ISD students understand the dangers of fentanyl, Turner said they also want to help parents who have lost children to the dangerous drug tell their story. “Not everyone talks about losing a child to fentanyl poisoning because of the stigma,” she said. “We are trying to reframe the narrative and help people talk about this.” Lawmakers aim to reclassify fen- tanyl overdoses and poisonings during the upcoming 88th Texas Legislative session that begins in January. If reclas- si ed, individuals who are caught distributing fentanyl to unsuspecting people could be charged with murder. Bell, Turner and other mothers in their group who lost children to fen- tanyl poisoning have testi ed before the Texas Legislature ahead of the upcoming January session. “It’s something we always say in our group, ‘If we don’t keep talking about this issue, then who will?’” Turner said.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
SOURCE: WWW.FINDTREATMENT.GOV COMMUNITY IMPACT
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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION • NOVEMBER 2022
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