Dallas County has launched a new website to raise public awareness about the fentanyl crisis.
At fightfentanyldc.com, Dallasites can find information about the dangers of fentanyl. The website is available in both English and Spanish.
In 2021, more than 150 died from fentanyl use in Dallas County, Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) said in a news release.
“Unfortunately, someone in the U.S. dies from Fentanyl every 8.5 seconds, and 5 Texans die from Fentanyl overdoses every day,” said DCHHS director Dr. Philip Huang. “To save lives, we must raise awareness about the lethal effects of fentanyl while promoting strategies to reduce harm and mitigate risk.”
“We hope this website and the toolkit resources are helpful tools to provide education and critical resources on how to prevent and stop fentanyl overdoses in our community,” Dr. Huang said.
Fentanyl is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, meaning that overdoses happen faster and are harder to stop, per the release.
The county’s new website also provides information on Naloxone — a nasal spray that serves as an opioid antagonist, which helps reverse the effects of overdose in two to three minutes.
As the local public health authority, Dallas County is involved in several initiatives aiming to address the ongoing opioid crisis.
The State of Texas, along with several counties and local governments, sued several big-name drug manufacturers and distributors, with settlements from those lawsuits dispersed throughout the state.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the county is set to spend $31 million received in lawsuit settlement funds on opioid recovery programs in Dallas.
Estimates from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts suggest that $1.6 billion in settlement funds will be distributed throughout the state over the next 18 years.