Overdose treatments expand as deaths decrease in Austin-Travis County

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas - As of Monday, Dec. 2, every ambulance in the Austin-Travis County EMS fleet has on-board Narcan-Naloxone rescue kits. It’s a major accomplishment since the Public Health Crisis Declaration that was issued in 2022. 

County leaders didn't declare victory, but they did acknowledge big steps have been made.

"This means that what we're doing is working. Harm reduction is working. Education is working," said ATCEMS Chief Robert Luckritz.

For the first time in three years, there's been a decline in overdose deaths in Travis County. 

In 2023, there were a total of 486 overdose deaths, with 250 deaths in the first six months of the year. In the first six months of 2024, there were 221 deaths. 

County Judge Andy Brown admitted the decrease may not be big, but the drop represents progress.

"I don't know if less bad news is necessarily good news, but it is definitely a better trend than we have seen in years past," said Judge Brown. 

During the briefing, it was announced a new $1.6 million federal grant will help pay for the next big step.

"With these funds, we're going to be able to launch a jail-based substance-use intake program, which will expand access to harm reduction strategies and evidence-based treatments, including medication assisted treatment, and also to provide holistic support for those transitioning back into our community after they've been in jail," said Judge Brown. 

Dr. Nicholas Yagoda, Interim Chief Executive Officer of CommUnity Care, said they will open a new addiction medicine clinic at Capital Plaza. He believes the federal grant will help close gaps in getting care and will save lives.

"It allows us to ensure that people leaving jail have access to the care they need to recover and rebuild their lives. Working alongside the Travis County Jail team and additionally leveraging our mobile and health care for the homeless programs, Community Care Substance Use program will provide continuity of care and reduce systematic barriers to recovery," said Yagoda.

Going after the source of the crisis was not addressed during the briefing. State lawmakers recently passed a law that allows prosecutors to file murder charges in fatal overdose cases. It's been used aggressively against drug dealers in Williamson and Hays counties. 

FOX 7 was told Travis County DA Jose Garza has prosecuted a couple of cases with the new law. County Judge Brown was asked if he wanted Garza to do more.

"What I'm very excited about is this money from the federal government to help us save lives here in Travis County. That's what we're talking about today," said Judge Brown.

When asked if he agreed that county prosecutors should go after the dealers, Brown said he was focusing on the public health approach.

The crackdown on the border by Governor Greg Abbott may be a factor in Travis County's overdose reduction. State officials say since the launch of Operation Lone Star, Texas law enforcement officers have seized more than 552 million lethal doses of fentanyl. 

Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D) Austin, who worked to get the federal grant money for Travis County, agreed law enforcement is part of the process, but questioned how law enforcement is being used.

"Personally, I think Project Lone Star, or whatever it's called that the governor's used, has wasted a significant amount of taxpayer money and produced very minimal benefits. Whether President Trump, along with that tough talk and these broad brush approaches, can help us reduce this. I certainly support a good faith effort that he has to do that. But I haven't really seen an outline of it. I've seen only a lot of tough talk about what he would do and using only as his weapon tariffs, which I think are the wrong weapon to use," said Congressman Doggett.

The Austin Democrat went on to suggest a next step for Congress and State Lawmakers. He wants fentanyl testing strips to be made available and made legal. Recent attempts to pass that kind of legislation have failed.