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DALLAS - Dallas City Councilmembers Adam Bazaldua and Paula Blackmon, who co-chair the Opioid Response Strike Force, are grateful for the recent announcement by Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS), launching a new website to fight against fentanyl and its devastating effects in Dallas County – fightfentanyldc.com.
“The leadership by John Creuzot, Dallas County and our many partners have had an extraordinary impact over the last year on the fentanyl epidemic in our community,” said Councilmember Blackmon.
“We look forward to continuing our efforts on the Strike Force, working alongside DA Creuzot, Dallas Fire Rescue and the Dallas Police Department, Dr. Elizalde at Dallas ISD, DART, as well as the Resource Recovery Center and others,” said Councilmember Bazaldua. “The launch of this website will inform our residents of the dangerous effects of fentanyl and will help us in our fight to end this epidemic.”
The DCHHS press release is below:
Dallas County Health and Human Services launches a new website to fight against fentanyl and its devastating effects in Dallas County – fightfentanyldc.com. The website provides important information, in both English and Spanish, about Fentanyl and the dangers of using this illicit drug. According to DCHHS mortality data, in 2021, Fentanyl claimed the lives of over 150 people in Dallas County.
“Unfortunately, someone in the U.S. dies from Fentanyl every 8.5 seconds, and 5 Texans die from Fentanyl overdoses every day,” said Dr. Philip Huang, DCHHS Director/Health Authority. “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.”
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Therefore, overdoses happen faster and are harder to stop. Fentanyl is commonly mixed with other drugs or made into pills. It cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled when mixed with other drugs, so it is almost impossible to detect, and many people may be unaware that their drugs are laced with fentanyl.
The website also provides information on a life-saving antidote to fentanyl overdoses: Naloxone. Naloxone is a nasal spray that can stop a fentanyl overdose in 2-3 minutes. Naloxone can be purchased over the counter at most local pharmacies.
To view this and other press releases visit:
https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/communications/press-releases
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