Texas bars to distribute Narcan after string of overdoses
Travis County Judge Andy Brown on Austin-area bars receiving Narcan and how fentanyl has affected the area
Travis County, Texas, which includes Austin, is planning to give Narcan to local bars to combat the rise in drug overdoses.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown joined "Fox & Friends" Wednesday to discuss the county tackling the overdoses and how fentanyl has affected the area.
"Nobody should die because of an addiction and because of those numbers that you just pointed out to us in Travis County, that's exactly what's happening there are people dying of preventable overdose deaths," said Brown.
FENTANYL DRIVES SURGE IN US OVERDOSE DEATHS IN WAKE OF NATION'S OPIOID EPIDEMIC
The drug Naloxone sits on a table during a free Opioid Overdose Prevention Training class provided by Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, New York, on April 5, 2018. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly)
Brown declared a public health crisis in May as a result of the overdoses.
"When I first heard of these numbers from the medical examiner, I declared a public health crisis in Travis County, said Brown.
"We put almost half a million dollars towards securing more Narcan and naloxone for the community and also investing in peer counselors to help people in this situation."
Brown also pushed for the state of Texas to legalize fentanyl testing strips.
"Fentanyl is increasingly in drugs of all sorts. People take drugs and they don't know fentanyl is in it. Some people do seek out fentanyl. But what we're seeing, I think, is a lot of people taking it unknowingly."
"We need to make sure that Narcan and naloxone is available everywhere. If it's in a bar, for example, and they see someone overdosing right there, then they can get this lifesaving medication to them quicker than an ambulance would," he told Ainsley Earhardt.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said on "Fox & Friends First" Tuesday, that the reason more people are dying from fentanyl and other drugs is because of the Biden administration's failure to secure the southern border.
"As the numbers go up, we're dealing with more people dying every day. And the Biden administration is promoting that," said Paxton.
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According to KVUE, the county will set aside $350,000 for overdose prevention efforts, including $175,000 to increase the availability of Narcan and overdose prevention kits, specifically targeting bars and nightlife spots.
Brown said the county is on track to double the number of fentanyl deaths this year.
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