View the full interview here
The City of Austin is seeing the biggest opioid overdose spike in over a decade. At least 9 people have died so far and the batch of deadly drugs is prompting concern amongst the I-35 corridor, including San Antonio.
“This means is that if someone were to take the same amount of fentanyl as if they were if they thought it was heroin, they're much more likely to overdose,” said Dr. Tara Karns-Wright, Senior Director of Be Well Texas.
Dr. Karns-Wright said the overdoses in Austin can likely be linked to a batch of drugs, most likely fentanyl, disguised as different drugs.
According to Dr. Tara Karns-Wright, there hasn’t been a significant spike in opioid overdoses in San Antonio yet but they’re keeping a close eye after what was unleashed in Austin.
“We always say it's better to be safe than sorry and so we always recommend that everyone always have Naloxone on hand,” said Dr. Karns-Wright.
Dr. Tara Karns-Wright said it’s always a good idea to be prepared for the worst with opioid reversing drugs. Because there is no supply shortage right now, Dr. Tara Karns-Wright said there’s no reason to not have the lifesaving drug on hand.
“It's always great to have it on hand, even if you're not sure if you're likely if you're likely to work with folks who have are likely to suffer from an overdose,” said Dr. Karns-Wright.
We reached out to several school districts in San Antonio, a spokesperson for the Northeast Independent School District tells us the district hasn’t seen increased overdoses and all campuses are equipped with NARCAN.
We also reached out to all major universities. The University of Incarnate Word sent us a statement that reads:
“The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) makes student safety a high priority. As such, the university has for years now maintained 17 easily accessible and strategically placed stations on the Broadway campus with Narcan. In addition, in keeping with best practices, all Resident Assistants in the dormitories and select personnel are trained to administer the drug.”
Trinity University tells us there’s a new initiative that is about to roll out, saying in part:
“Trinity's Narcan distribution and education program—an initiative Trinity's Student Health Services has been partnering with students on—is nearing rollout pending review by University administration.”
