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Opioid-related deaths in Texas have risen almost 200% since 2006, according to state data, which is why some Bastrop County organizations are making the overdose-reversing drug Narcan available for free.
“Everywhere. I think it should be accessible everywhere,” said Melissa “Missy” Noah, a withdrawal management supervisor at Bluebonnet Trails Community Services. “But definitely, in, you know, drugstores, which it is. It should be in schools, doctors’ offices, just anywhere.”
That is why her organization and several others in the Bastrop area are distributing Narcan at no cost.
“We have purchased 3,696 cartons of Narcan for $146,736,” Noah added, who runs the Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral program at Bluebonnet. “So that’s how much, as of this week, that we have put out into the community this year.”
Bluebonnet serves a 30-county area, including Bastrop. Among the services Bluebonnet provides are mental health counseling and substance abuse treatment.
Bluebonnet used a state grant to purchase the Narcan and also received some through the state distribution system Naloxone Texas. The state distributed more than 550,000 doses of Narcan over a threeyear period and continues to offer free Narcan to organizations and individuals through NaloxoneTexas. com. A simple form on the website allows anyone to request a free shipment of the life-saving drug.
Ranch House Recovery in Elgin also received Narcan through the state program and in turn provides it to the community. Ranch House Recovery offers recovery programs for men, using a 12-step intensive program along with animal therapy, sustainable farming and community participation.
Executive Director Sami Ouda said the overdose-reversing drug should be easily accessible and is a necessity for all communities.
“I know that the Narcan that we’ve handed out has directly saved some of our alumni’s lives, we send everyone out the door with it,” Ouda said.
Ranch House Recovery received 264 doses of Narcan from the state through Naloxone Texas and Ouda said that amount has lasted and has been distributed to visitors and counselors.
“As of right now, I think we have quite a bit of Narcan on property,” Ouda said. “And, actually, if anyone in this community needed it, we’d be happy to give it to them as well, and source around.”
Since 2017, the state has been giving free Narcan to law enforcement, health providers and community organizations, such as the Ranch House and Bluebonnet. Texas received $45.7 million in federal grants as part of the federal opioid settlement.
Texas Communit y Health News obtained data from the Texas Health and Human Services Targeted Opioid Response program showing where the Narcan was distributed between March 2019 and August 2022. More than 550,000 doses were provided to government agencies, community organizations and individuals during that period.
Organizations in Bastrop County received nearly 1,700 doses during that time. The majority of those doses, about 1,300, went to harm reduction organizations or treatment centers, such as Recovery Center and Bluebonnet Trails, according to an analysis by Texas Community Health News.
Last year, the Legislature passed a law requiring Texas schools to stock Narcan and train teachers and staff how to administer it. Even before the law passed, Bastrop ISD received 120 doses of Narcan through the state program over several years, according to the data.
Because the distribution program began some years ago, expired Narcan is still in circulation. While some organizations, particularly government agencies, may have policies against using expired Narcan, Ouda said the expired drug can still save lives.
“We explain to families that the expired Narcan is just as effective as Narcan that is not expired,” Ouda said.
Earlier this year, the FDA announced that the shelf-life for Narcan nasal spray was extended from three years to four years.
Noah said all expired Narcan from Bluebonnet Trails is turned over to harm reduction programs, such as the NICE Project, which stocks Narcan vending machines in Austin.
“OSAR also has a harm reduction fund as well. It’s a $200,000 fund, and we still have close to $100,000 left in it to distribute by Aug. 31,” said Noah.
The harm reduction fund provides free harm reduction items such as overdose prevention kits, infection prevention, safe sex and hygiene kits.
“I’m happy to ship people Narcan. They can come to my Georgetown office and pick it up, or I can send it and take it over to the Bastrop or Giddings location. We still have $100,000 more to spend on Narcan by Aug. 31,” Noah said.
For more about the Harm Reduction Fund visit https://bbtrails.org.
