STOPS THE BECOMING DEAD –
August 27, 2021 – In the wake of Joshua’s death, Hernandez has worked with the Texas chapter of the Association of People Against Lethal Drugs to raise awareness of Narcan and promote its distribution to people that both use drugs and first responders.
Fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Texas, and the nation, have skyrocketed in the past few years.
That’s why Hernandez said she was angry to learn few departments are tapping into state-level programs that would pay to equip first responders with Narcan. “I am very pissed,” said Hernandez. “This is not good … This is a lifesaving drug.”
In recent years state lawmakers have recognized the mounting death toll from opioids, and fentanyl in particular. To help, legislators established grants to equip law enforcement with the drug, but a KXAN investigation has found few departments applied for that money in the past two years. Also, the state’s only program specifically for Narcan grants is no longer funded after only two years in existence.
