Travis County Set to Recognize Opioid Epidemic as Public Health Crisis Amid Rise in Overdose Deaths

Opioid addiction in Central Texas is on the brink of being recognized as a public health crisis, again, by Travis County commissioners, with a past declaration in May of 2022 setting a precedent for the current concern over increasing drug-related deaths.

Commissioners are expected to reassert the gravity of the situation, as indicated by agenda Item 15 which states the county will, “Consider and take appropriate action to declare a public health crisis due to drug overdose and deaths related to the opioid crisis in our community,” a move that comes amidst continuous challenges with people turning to opioids for relief from various hardships, and for some uninsured Texans, in the face of unaffordable prescription medicines they resort to unsafe alternatives, a point highlighted by

CBS Austin

.

Symptoms defining opioid use disorder as termed by the National Institute of Health include an uncontrollable urge to consume opioids, developing a higher tolerance, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms upon cessation, this increase in opioid-related incidents stresses the public health infrastructure.

What often begins as a medical issue can escalate to a criminal matter, as stated by Travis County Judge Andy Brown who, “There’s a lot of people who seek help for mental health issues and end up using illegal substances and those two things go hand in hand with each other,” a sentiment echoed in an interview with

MSN

.

Alongside the declaration, there are discussions to leverage opioid abatement funds to combat the overdose crisis in the region, with reports from August disclosing that Travis County has around $600,000 available for what is described as “opioid remediation”.

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