There were 417 overdose deaths last year, with 245 of them fentanyl-related. Despite significant work across Travis County over the last year, the number of overdose deaths increased 35 percent and the number of fentanyl-related overdose deaths climbed 108 percent. That number has increased tenfold since 2019 and has doubled since last year’s report, when the county declared a public health crisis.
Representatives from the county, the Sheriff’s Office, community nonprofits, the Medical Examiner’s Office and Austin Public Health spoke at a press conference Wednesday regarding the 2022 Travis County Medical Examiner’s report.
“Travis County is facing double the number of funerals, double the number of empty seats at the dinner tables and double the number of families with more questions than answers,” said Travis County Judge Andy Brown.
“It’s clear this public health crisis isn’t impacting an isolated group of people,” Brown said. “Overdoses affect everyone in Travis County. These are our families, our friends, our co-workers, and we need to continue investing in dignified solutions that work.”
Brown announced that his office will be asking the Commissioners Court for $750,000 in the 2024 budget to create an overdose prevention fund. The fund would build a “more robust” response for emergency needs, expand infrastructure for outreach and recovery organizations and create an emergency fund that the county could tap into.
The county judge called on the Texas Legislature to invest in harm reduction measures at the local level. “We need the state Legislature to fund more mental health options for people, including the $2.3 billion that is currently earmarked in the budget to increase spending on mental hospital inpatient capacity,” Brown said.
“We’re partnering with local school districts to educate parents about fentanyl and how easily students can get it,” said Sheriff Sally Hernandez. “We’re also making them aware of misinformation students circulate about the deadly drug.” The Sheriff’s Office is launching a website, according to Hernandez. Cate Graziani, with Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, said that while she was glad a light was being shone on the issue of overdoses, she was devastated and angry about the numbers.
“I’m angry because every overdose is preventable with information that’s rooted in harm reduction – that goes beyond a ‘one pill kills’ message,” Graziani said. “With drug-checking tools like fentanyl testing strips and Narcan widely available, we can save lives. So we know how to do it. And yet we’re still seeing more than double in our overdose death in our community.”
