BY CHLOE YOUNG
In 2023, drug overdoses were the No. 1 cause of accidental deaths in the county, according to the Travis County Medical Examiner Annual Report. While fentanyl-related deaths continue to increase each year, the rate of increase slowed from 108% to 14% from 2021-22 to 2022-23, according to the report. Local leaders and organizations said collaborative intervention efforts, including an increased availability of opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone (Narcan), are making a difference, but there is still more work to be done. About 80% of people in Travis County have received a dose of naloxone when emergency services arrive compared to 60% of people nationally, said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin Public Health medical director and health authority. Efforts to curb overdoses persist
Accidental fentanyl-related deaths in Texas The rate of increase for fentanyl-related deaths slowed from 2021-22 to 2022-23.
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Nonprofits Urban Alchemy, Texas Harm Reduction Alliance and Communities for Recovery have distributed Narcan, educated residents on how to prevent overdoses and connected opioid users to support services. On April 30, the Commissioners Court signed an agreement with Texans Connecting Overdose Prevention Efforts to obtain more data to track where overdoses are occurring, including data from ATCEMS and local nonprofits such as THRA, Travis County Judge Andy Brown said. The county will continue to look to expand access to Narcan, he said. “I’d like every bar, every restaurant, every school, every public gathering place to have Narcan,” Brown said.
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Educating residents around opioid use is important as many people unknowingly consume opioids from laced drugs, said Angela Carr, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services division chief. Only 5% of drug-related deaths were due to fentanyl alone while 95% involved more than one drug in 2023, said Keith Pinckard, Travis County Chief Medical Examiner.
SOURCES: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES, TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER ANNUAL REPORT 2023/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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