As the opioid epidemic continues to grip cities nationwide, Austin is pulling together resources and brains in a bid to turn the tide on this relentless crisis. Last Thursday, the city of Austin, Central Health, and various community partners laid out their current anti-opioid strategies to the Travis County Commissioners Court. These measures include the life-saving distribution of naloxone, overdose education, and a range of harm reduction services to address growing needs within the community, as reported by Austin Monitor.
Travis County stands to gain a substantial boost with a $1,476,519 slice from the Texas Opioid Abatement Trust Fund, which matches closely with Austin's own $1,531,218 funding haul for opioid crisis interventions. Despite this financial backing, the county's immediate budget for opioid remediation activities sits at $787,589, much of which is expected from the trust fund, according to Laura Peveto from Travis County Health and Human Services.
The partnership strategy has been praised by involved parties, as monthly meetings have forged greater alignment, reduced duplicated efforts, and promoted the sharing of new initiatives. Peveto underscored this collaborative ethos to the court, saying, "We do this to align our strategies, ensure we're reducing duplication of efforts, reporting out on new initiatives and best practices in the area, and then discussing future funding opportunity," according to Austin Monitor.
Commissioner Ann Howard summed up the court's presentations with a call for a cohesive strategy in combating the opioid crisis. "What I think would be helpful to me, when we have the opportunity to fund programs, I’m going to fund a system of care, and I want you experts to design that system. I don’t want to just have competitive applications for the money. I want to know what all of us are doing together," Howard stated.
Despite ongoing efforts and the mobilization of substantial funds, the opioid crisis in Travis County remains acute. Within the first six months of 2022, the county saw as many fentanyl-related deaths as the entire previous year, with 118 fatalities, a disturbing rise with disproportionate impacts on people of color and women. In a dire fight against time and a complex drug crisis, Austin's collective response may provide a blueprint for others in similarly dire straits, as per Austin Monitor.
