TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — The number of fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Travis County has doubled in the past year, according to a new report from the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office.
In 2020, there were 35 fentanyl-related deaths reported. That number jumped to 118 in 2021. Then it more than doubled in 2022, with fentanyl detected in the deaths of 245 people in Travis County.
Addiction hits home for Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion (Precinct 1). He lost his older brother to addiction and said he wants to see more action to prevent other families from suffering the same loss.
"We can develop strategies as a community. No one single thing will do. We need a number of opportunities. We need to take advantage of a number of opportunities. We're looking in other communities to see what's working," Travillion said.
Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez said Wednesday that her office is partnering with local school districts to educate kids about the dangers of fentanyl. In the next few days, the sheriff's office will launch an awareness page on its website, with testimonials from parents who have lost their children to fentanyl-related overdoses.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown also said his office wants to create an overdose prevention fund for the county. He also urged state lawmakers to take more action to fight overdoses.
To learn more about Travis County's overdose numbers for 2022, as well as other types of deaths in the county last year, read the full report from the medical examiner's office.