Across the nation, fentanyl accounts for the vast majority of opioid overdoses and almost 70% of all drug overdose deaths. Responding to the crisis, City departments — Fire, Police and Neighborhood Services — continue to work with outside partners to reduce fentanyl and opioid abuse in Fort Worth.
What is fentanyl? Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
- It is a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S.
- There are two types of fentanyl: pharmaceutical fentanyl and illegally made fentanyl. Both are considered synthetic opioids.
- It is often added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive and more dangerous.
- Most recent cases of fentanyl-related overdose are linked to illegally made fentanyl, which is distributed through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect.
How Fort Worth is responding
Fort Worth Fire Department: The department responded to about 1,000 suspected overdose/poisoning incidents each year in fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Upon arriving on the scene, firefighters discovered an actual overdose or poisoning about 20% of the time.
Narcan was administered in 65% of suspected overdose incidents in FY22 and 75% of suspected overdose incidents in FY23.
FWFD recently received funding through the Neighborhood Services Department, along with UNT Health Science Center and Tarrant County MHMR, to mitigate harms caused by opioid distribution and use. FWFD will collaborate with these groups, and FWPD and MedStar, in the coming year to reduce the abuse of fentanyl and other opioid substances.
These initiatives are planned:
- Community CPR training
- Community Narcan administration training
- Engagement with family members
- Distributing hygiene kits
- HOPE Team overdose follow-up within 24-36 hours
- HOPE Team risk assessment and crisis intervention to affected populations
In 2017, PD started training and issuing officers Narcan to be used in the field to protect officers and residents from opioid exposures and suspected overdoses. Since the inception of this program, 412 officers and civilians have been trained in the use of Narcan, with 357 doses currently issued and assigned to officers. Twenty-two of those doses have been administered as a lifesaving measure in the field.
In 2022, FWPD created a team of narcotics investigators devoted to suspected overdose and death investigation from drugs. These narcotics investigators are notified by Police Communications when patrol officers have been dispatched to a call involving a suspected fentanyl overdose. In 2023, the team responded to 98 overdose-related calls; 76 of those were fentanyl-related overdose deaths.
Late last year, FWPD was one of the first agencies in Texas and the first in Tarrant County to indict a suspect on a murder charge from a fentanyl overdose.
This team has also begun educating teachers, administrators and counselors on how to recognize dangerous drugs.
MedStar: The mobile healthcare group’s overdose response team includes one mobile health paramedic and one peer support specialist from the Recovery Resource Council.
The team received 3,168 referrals between December 2021 and October 2023; 373 patients received at least one program service during that period.
The team recorded 90 average visits per month in 2023.
Original source can be found here.
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