More than 50 people overdosed Monday and Tuesday, resulting in the suspected deaths of eight people, in what city officials called an “outbreak” of opioid overdoses in Austin.
The agency typically receives one to two overdose calls per day, he said.
White said Austin has not experienced this volume of overdoses since 2015, when K2, a synthetic marijuana compound, struck the community.
Patients represented a range of ages and demographics, said Austin Police Assistant Chief Eric Fitzgerald, though none were under the age of 18.
Most calls were concentrated in downtown Austin, around Neches Street, between East Sixth and East Eighth streets, EMS Capt.
Murder charges Fitzgerald, the assistant police chief, said the Austin Police Department would find those responsible for the overdoses and deaths and hold them accountable.
Brown, the county judge, said the Travis County Commissioners Court would finalize a contract Tuesday with Texans Connecting Overdose Prevention Efforts.
Drug overdose deaths continue to be the No.
Eight people are believed to have died as a result of overdosing on opioids on Monday and Tuesday, in what Austin city officials referred to as a “outbreak” of overdoses.
On Tuesday, officials from the city gathered for a press conference to share further details regarding the incidents and the ongoing investigation into the possible overdoses. As of Tuesday morning, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services had received over 50 calls related to overdoses. This represents a 1,000% increase in overdose emergency calls in a single day, according to EMS Assistant Chief Steve White. He said the agency usually gets one or two calls a day about overdoses.
According to White, Austin has not seen this many overdoses since the community was hit by the synthetic marijuana compound K2 in 2015.
At one in the morning, Austin’s downtown saw the first overdose emergency calls. M. Monday, and they started to appear in East, South, and North Austin soon after, lasting until four in the morning. M. Dr. Keith Pinkard, the Travis County Medical Examiner, stated at the press conference on Tuesday. Many patients were discovered to be in cardiac arrest, according to White.
According to Austin Police Assistant Chief Eric Fitzgerald, the patients ranged in age and demographics, but none of them were younger than eighteen.
“There were patients that were unhoused; there were patients that were housed,” White said. “There were patients that were at their workplace, and there were patients that were out in public spaces as well. It was not limited to one geographic location.
“We did notice that there were some spots that have had a higher density of overdoses, but it was spread throughout the entire city. “.
The medical examiner’s office has conducted autopsies and toxicology reports on the eight people whose deaths were tied to the overdoses, Pinkard said. The reports are currently pending.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown credited emergency responders with saving many lives during the influx of calls. EMS community health paramedics canvassed affected communities Monday and passed out more than 200 Narcan kits, which can combat the effects of an overdose, to both their known clientele and members of the public. One police sector went through its entire stock of Narcan, White said. Individual room checks were done inside local shelters by the city of Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office to ensure shelter residents had not been affected, an EMS news release said.
White said that if the city had not prioritized the overdoses, the loss of life would have been in the dozens.
Patients taken to local hospitals responded well to Narcan administration, increasing the likelihood that the substances ingested were opiates, the release said.
Patients reported using different types of drugs, though EMS did not provide specifics on which suspected substances were causing the overdoses, EMS Deputy Medical Director Dr. Heidi Abraham said at a news conference Monday. Several patients treated Monday told paramedics they thought they were taking a non-opioid narcotic, the release said.
Murder charges.
Fitzgerald, the assistant police chief, said the Austin Police Department would find those responsible for the overdoses and deaths and hold them accountable. A new Texas law instituted tiered felony charges for producing, delivering or distributing fentanyl in an effort to combat the crisis.
The Police Department detained two individuals Monday and arrested one person. That person currently faces a firearm possession felony, with more charges pending, Austin police Lt. Patrick Eastlick said.
“Anyone found responsible for distributing fentanyl faces potential charges of murder” or manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury, Eastlick said.
The police investigation is being aided by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the assistant U. S. attorney’s office, he said.
Overdose response and remediation efforts.
While the cause of the overdoses has not been found yet, Eastlick said fentanyl is the likely culprit. Police said it was too early in the investigation to determine where the drugs had come from.
Brown, the county judge, said the Travis County Commissioners Court would finalize a contract Tuesday with Texans Connecting Overdose Prevention Efforts. The program allows community partners and first responders to have real-time information about when, where and why overdoses are occurring. He said the information can be used to tailor opioid response and remediation efforts.
Drug overdose deaths continue to be the No. 1 cause of nonaccidental deaths in Travis County, Brown said, urging all those who can to carry a Narcan kit.
Narcan can be found at distribution centers across the city and can be accessed with a Central Health Medical Access Program card at H-E-B and CommUnityCare pharmacies, said Dr. Desmar Walkes, the county’s public health authority.
Austin Public Health has received funding from U. S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to combat the opioid crisis, Walkes said.
The funding “has gone a long way to help us prepare for days such as what we had yesterday,” Walkes said. “This funding of over $2 million has allowed us to allocate 30,000 doses of naloxone to various community members. “.
She said the symptoms of an opioid overdose can appear as shallow or slow breathing; confusion or loss of consciousness; change in skin color to pale, blue or purple; and very small pupils. Emergency calls came from businesses, residences and public areas. Most calls were concentrated in downtown Austin, around Neches Street, between East Sixth and East Eighth streets, EMS Capt. Christa Stedman said at an initial press conference Monday.
