Dallas County is expanding its Overdose Response Team to five additional cities in an effort to curb rising overdose deaths linked to fentanyl.
The program is a collaboration between Dallas County Health and Human Service and the Recovery Recourse Council. Both agencies will now operate in Irving, Richardson, Garland, Carrolton and Farmers Branch.
The expansion comes as the county continues to struggle with an increase in fatal overdoses. Last year, Dallas County reported 588 overdose deaths with a large number tied to fentanyl.
According to the county, Fentanyl remains the leading cause of opioid-related deaths across North Texas.
The Overdose Response Team pairs registered nurses with a peer support specialist to visit people who recently survived an overdose. The team subsequently conducts in-person visits, provides training on how to reverse an overdose and CPR training. The team also distributes free naloxone, better known by its brand name Narcan.
Director of Dallas County Health and Human Services Dr. Philip Huang said the initiative brings “resources, hope and real solutions right to (people’s) doorstep.”
On the ground, Paul Schoenemann of the Irving Fire Department says the program could make a significant difference for people facing addiction.
“For the people that are going through some sort of drug addiction, I think this will have a big impact on them,” Schoenemann said. "And the ones that are on the fence about it, I think it will prove to be a positive avenue for them to go down to fight their drug addiction.”
The program builds on a model first launched in the City of Dallas, which has distributed more than a thousand naloxone kits and linked hundreds of residents to recovery programs.
Seeing the success Dallas has had with the program makes Schoenemann hopeful for its impact in Irving.
“My outlook is good considering that my understanding is that the Dallas Fire Department has had a good response with this,” Schoenemann said. “I'm hoping to do it here. I think what we're looking to get out of it is help for our citizens with dealing with drug abuse.”
The Overdose Response Team is a part of a larger effort to curb overdose deaths in the county with other separate programs like the overdose hotline introduced last year.
The expansion is funded fully by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant resulting in a no-cost service to the five cities.
County officials say they plan to replicate the model in more communities across Dallas County in the coming months.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org.
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