U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, mentioned Tuesday he has helped safe $2 million in federal funding for Austin Public Well being to struggle opioid overdoses, with a deal with stopping deaths from fentanyl.
It is the primary long-term federal funding for opioid abuse domestically, Doggett mentioned.
“It is clear from the deaths we have seen from highschool college students in neighboring counties, it is a downside that afflicts a broad a part of our group,” Doggett mentioned. “We’re mainly attempting to deliver all arms on deck — metropolis, county, federal — to work collectively to seek out some solutions.”
Doggett mentioned he pursued the $2 million as a result of it was Austin Public Well being’s prime precedence. The cash is anticipated to final two years.
“We’re in a public well being disaster… the town of Austin is dedicated to making sure that our residents have the knowledge they should shield themselves from this public well being menace,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson mentioned. “This infusion of federal cash will allow us to speak our communication in regards to the danger of opioids and overdoses.”
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How the cash will probably be spent
Normally the funding will probably be used for:
- Overdose prevention schooling together with a devoted marketing campaign
- Peer restoration coaches for street-level intervention. These are individuals with lived habit expertise.
- Further opioid reversal medication together with Narcan and its generic naloxone
- Schooling on the best way to use naloxone and opioid use indicators
- An Austin Public Well being well being fairness hotline individuals can name for info
- Schooling amongst well being care suppliers on avoiding prescription dependence
“The concept is to get extra group engagement and inform individuals to assist us deal with this vital problem,” Doggett mentioned.
Travis County says it has spent $500,000 towards efforts to stop opioid overdoses. Austin Public Well being has spent about $2 million on all overdose prevention.
The $2 million in federal cash has not but arrived in Austin.
Austin Public Well being will probably be making a plan on the best way to use the cash and can elicit buy-in from the organizations it at present works with locally. A lot of these applications will see a rise in funding.
“We hope we’ll have the option leverage the great work of this funding and the opposite good work that is occurring in group to open us as much as different grant alternatives,” mentioned Austin Public Well being Director Adrienne Sturrup.
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Seeing the rising disaster
Fentanyl is an artificial opioid that’s 50 to 100 occasions stronger than morphine. Typically it’s laced in different medication, making an individual unaware that what they’re taking has fentanyl in it.
Within the first six months of 2022, Travis County noticed 199 unintentional overdose deaths, together with 118 from fentanyl overdoses. Overdose is the No. 1 reason behind unintentional deaths within the county. The variety of unintentional overdose deaths within the first six months of 2022 is similar for all of 2021, however in 2021, fentanyl solely accounted for 36% of these deaths; now that quantity is at 59%.
“These are preventable deaths,” Travis County Choose Andy Brown mentioned. “These are individuals who reside right here in Travis County. It is our brothers, our moms, our greatest buddies, our co-workers our neighbors who’re dying.”
Brown mentioned the variety of ladies dying from fentanyl overdoses is up 150% in Travis County, the variety of Black residents is up almost 180% and the variety of Hispanic residents is up 155%.
The overdoses are being seen throughout the county, not simply in a single space, mentioned Austin-Travis County Well being Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes.
“We want desperately to handle this problem as an entire group,” Walkes mentioned. “… One tablet can kill, it doesn’t matter what your age or gender. It is crucial that you simply solely take capsules as prescribed by a physician… the primary tablet you are taking from a stranger could be the one which kills you.”
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What’s the anticipated impression of the brand new funding?
The primary issues individuals will see is extra schooling locally, Sturrup mentioned. Austin Public Well being will probably be educating its group well being staff on opioid habit. Opioid use will develop into a part of the dialog after they go into the group to speak about diabetes or COVID-19 or different well being points.
“We would like therapy to be an accessible, available choice to anybody who finds themselves on this state of affairs,” Sturrup mentioned.
The Narcan therapy reverses the results by nasal spray or injection.
“It is like having a hearth extinguisher in your home that you simply by no means need or count on to make use of, but it surely’s life saving to have it there,” Brown mentioned.
Texas Hurt Discount Alliance, which has had partnerships with the county, has been capable of provide among the Narcan accessible domestically. Cate Graziani, the co-director of Texas Hurt Discount Alliance, estimated that in Austin, the alliance has been capable of save between 500 to 700 lives a yr by making Narcan accessible.
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Narcan is now accessible at two free merchandising machines and at bars and public libraries.
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In search of extra from state authorities
Brown mentioned he wish to see the state authorities take extra of a job within the effort to develop therapy and schooling. There are thousands and thousands of {dollars} that may very well be utilized in funding naloxone for cities, counties and group organizations to entry, he mentioned. Many of the $500,000 the county has allotted for fentanyl overdose prevention has been in shopping for naloxone, Brown mentioned.
“You have seen that that is metropolis, county and federal,” Doggett mentioned. “There’s not anybody from the state right here. We would like that state partnership.”
The state usually passes by way of federal funds to completely different entities. Final yr, the state ran out of federally-funded naloxone to distribute, Doggett mentioned.
On the state stage, a number of payments have been introduces to take away the legal penalties of possessing fentanyl testing strips to detect the presence of fentanyl in a tablet, in addition to a Good Samaritan legislation for individuals to assist somebody going by way of an overdose with out being charged for having drug paraphernalia.
“A drug habit or leisure drug makes use of shouldn’t be a demise sentence,” Brown mentioned. “This funding will assist us save lives.”
