In a recent move to combat the growing opioid crisis, San Antonio has put a sizable chunk of cash into play. Metro Health, the city’s health department, has been cleared to use $909,000 over the next two years on various initiatives aimed at slashing overdoses, thanks to funds from opioid lawsuit settlements. In a Thursday decision, City Council green-lit the allocation from the expected $6 million-plus settlement share that's to be spread over an 18-year period.
With methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl driving a spike in overdose rates, Metro Health is set to use $434,000 of the allotment for substance use outreach, while $175,000 will directly to improve harm reduction efforts including the distribution of Narcan kits. They're also putting $150,000 to educate providers on reducing stigma among pregnant individuals battling addictions, and $100,000 will make its way to medical treatments for street outreach clients, according to the San Antonio Report. The remaining funds will support the creation of an online substance use resource hub. With deaths piling up, Jennifer Sharpe Potter from the Be Well Institute flagged the urgent need for not just overdose mitigation but also accessible, evidence-based treatments.
This initiative comes as Texas and specifically Bexar County grapple with a disturbing uptick in opioid-related fatalities. The area's overdose death rate is eclipsing the state average, with Metro Health reporting over five deaths per 100,000 residents in Bexar County compared to the statewide figure of more than four per 100,000. Last year alone, Texas saw over 2,000 people succumb to fentanyl, with a reported 246 overdose deaths in Bexar County.
On the treatment front, Sharpe Potter, also a professor at UT Health San Antonio, warned that focusing solely on opioids in the distribution of settlement funds might to fail suitably address San Antonio's shifting substance use landscape, as stimulant use disorders from drugs like methamphetamines and cocaine contribute to overdose deaths. She also noted the dire need for adolescent treatment services, with current options for this age group being limited in the region. Potter announced the Be Well Texas Clinic is set to bring in an adolescent addiction medicine specialist, poised to be a game-changer for the city, according to the San Antonio Report.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, Bexar County isn't lagging, having received about $14.4 million in opioid settlement dollars. They've ponied up $3.4 million so far, leaving a cool $11 million on the table for future interventions. The allocations include recovery housing for mothers, a substance use coordinator, and Narcan for the Sheriff's Office, among other things. With the May 28 deadline in sight, the county is on the lookout for organizations wanting a piece of the settlement pie to amplify their substance abuse combat strategies.
