As San Antonio grapples with rising overdose deaths, the City Council is set to vote on a significant resolution this Thursday. The Council will decide whether to officially recognize overdoses as a public health crisis, a move that could shift how the city addresses this growing epidemic.
The resolution was spurred by a Council Consideration Request (CCR) from District 5's Councilmember Teri Castillo, who has been actively looking to aggressively tackle the issue since June 2023. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there's been a stark 57-percent increase in drug-related deaths nationally between 2018 and 2023, which includes 5,688 Texans and 469 residents of Bexar County. The CDC also notes that more than 2,000 Americans, including nine people from Bexar County, were dying weekly in 2023 due to drug overdoses.
"This resolution recognizes overdose deaths as preventable tragedies that impact all of us," said Councilmember Castillo, as reported by the City of San Antonio's official website. She highlighted the urgent need for "immediate and sustained action to protect the health and wellbeing of our community." The councilmember emphasized the city's solidarity with those affected by substance use and its commitment to supporting harm-reducing, care-providing solutions that can save lives.
In the face of this crisis, the proposed CCR aims not only to declare a public health emergency but also to set a comprehensive plan into motion. The city would establish a budget plan that prioritizes harm reduction strategies funded by opioid settlement payments. It also intends to possibly broaden access to Naloxone (Narcan), a life-saving antidote, alongside training for its use among community-based non-profits and workers in public-facing city departments. Additionally, the resolution calls for developing a city-funded program to support pregnant individuals and new mothers struggling with opioid addiction.
