"We saw a 19% decrease in accidental drug deaths overall and a 26% decrease in accidental drug overdose involving fentanyl between those [first] seven months in 2023 and those corresponding months in 2024," Travis County Medical Examiner Dr. Keith Pinckard said. "We're certainly turning a corner."
Overdoses remain the leading cause of accidental deaths in Travis County, prompting commissioners to renew a 2022 public health crisis declaration in November. As part of this effort, the county allocated $100,000 for naloxone—a medication used to treat opioid overdoses—and an additional $300,000 for future overdose prevention programs in the upcoming year.
Commissioners also directed staff to prioritize investments in opioid abatement strategies, including expanded access to treatment, increased naloxone distribution, and enhanced peer recovery services.
The program will utilize medication-assisted treatment alongside harm reduction approaches and peer recovery support within the Travis County jail system and follow an individual as they reenter the community.
“This is a much needed lifeline for those that are very much at risk,” U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said.
Individuals leaving jail are eight times more likely to die of an overdose in the first six months after they leave incarceration, according to local authorities. While serving a sentence, a person’s tolerance to substances often decreases. Upon release, if they use the same amount as they did before incarceration, it can lead to an accidental overdose.
Interim CommUnity Care CEO Dr. Nicholas Yagoda explained that using a medication-assisted program is proven to reduce the likelihood of overdose after jail by half.
Looking ahead
The substance-use disorder program will be overseen by the Travis County Health and Human Services Department in collaboration with the county’s Sheriff’s office and local mental health provider Integral Care.
Community partners like the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance will also work within the program to assist in the delivery of current- and post-inmate services, including working with individuals on reentry planning and providing additional education and resources.
“What we're doing is working. Harm reduction is working. Education is working,” said Robert Luckritz, the chief of Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown also highlighted the county's commitment to addressing the opioid crisis through a “public health approach,” emphasizing its life-saving impact.
“For the first time in two years, we are seeing the number of people dying from drug overdoses go down,” Brown said. “The progress we’ve made in reducing overdose deaths this year is a direct result of the community’s dedicated efforts to work together and tackle this crisis head-on.”
One more thing
Yagoda said CommUnity Care will be expanding its continuum of care by opening a new addiction medicine clinic within Capital Plaza in north Austin in early 2025.
