detoxification process, he said. The push to make Narcan more accessible is also paramount, Shorter said. “If we want to start stemming the tide of these deaths, Narcan needs to be everywhere,” Shorter said. Government solutions State and county entities are work- ing to address the opioid epidemic through local funding, law enforce- ment resources and increased educa- tion surrounding opioid misuse. Around 2019, the HFD began a grant-funded partnership program with Houston Recovery Center with the goal of getting more people who overdose into treatment centers. Under the partnership, first respond- ers with Houston provide real-time notifications of Narcan use to well- ness advocates with the HRC, who are then able to respond to the hospital where they can attempt to meet the patient and talk to them about over- dose education and the basics of get- ting help. “They go to the hospital and try to intervene and offer resources to the patient within an hour of transport,” Sounders said. “The research shows this is the most effective time to try to get someone to make an actual change in their life. ... You are more receptive to that help rather than if you go home, and someone offers to help you five days later.” At the county level, Brown said HCPH’s Overdose Data to Action program collects overdose data to inform local prevention and response efforts. HCPH also partners with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to iden- tify areas of high risk and provide resources to mitigate crime and drug use in those areas in the Violence Pre- vention Program. Statewide, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Feb. 16 that the state had secured a $1.17 billion settlement with three major phar- maceutical companies: Amerisource- Bergen, McKesson and Cardinal. According to the attorney general, Texas has secured $1.89 billion to date from opioid settlements. Paxton’s office is also encourag- ing local governments to sign onto existing settlements to receive funds. According to the attorney general’s website, 482 Texas municipalities signed onto two settlements with Janssen—owned by Johnson & John- son—and with AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. The city of Houston will get $7 million
THE CRISIS
State funding and educational resources were implemented to curb opioid addiction and overdoses.
SETTLEMENTS TO ROLL OUT Harris County: $15M
Houston: $7M
SETTLEMENT FUNDING USES
Local cities are expected to receive funds from state settlements with opioid manufacturers to be used for various purposes:
Community drug disposal programs
Expanded telehealth to increase access to treatment Youth-focused education programs
Fellowships for addiction medicine specialists
First responder and law enforcement training expansion
HEALTH CARE EDITION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER’S COMING SOON
FIND HELP: Call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 800-662-4357 , or visit www.samhsa. gov for resources and treatment.
SOURCE: TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
from the settlements, while Harris County will get $15 million. Lee McColgin is a liaison for the Houston Recovery Center who was addicted to opioids and used them for 35 years on and off. He encour- aged people to disregard any previous notions they might have had about opioids. “This idea that it’s only heroin addicts and hardcore drug addicts that are overdosing on this stuff has to be completely eliminated, or else we miss the most vulnerable people,” he said. Danica Lloyd and Sierra Rozen con- tributed to this report.
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HEIGHTS - RIVER OAKS - MONTROSE EDITION • MAY 2022
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