City Council to Vote on Resolution Declaring Overdoses a Public Health

Published on November 20, 2024

City Council to Vote on Resolution Declaring Overdoses a Public Health Crisis

SAN ANTONIO (Nov 20, 2024) – During A Session on Thursday, November 21, San Antonio’s City Council will vote on a resolution declaring overdoses a public health crisis. The idea for a resolution came out of a Council Consideration Request (CCR) filed in June 2023 by District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo aimed at reducing deaths and other community harms caused by opioid addiction.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States saw a 57-percent increase in drug-related deaths from 2018-2023, including 5,688 lives lost in Texas and 469 in Bexar County. Also according to the CDC, more than 2,000 people in the U.S., including nine people in Bexar County, died on a weekly basis in 2023 from drug overdoses.

“This resolution recognizes overdose deaths as preventable tragedies that impact all of us,” said Councilmember Castillo. “We must take immediate and sustained action to protect the health and wellbeing of our community. We stand in solidarity with those affected by substance use and commit to supporting solutions that reduce harm, provide care, and save lives.” 

In addition to declaring opioid overdoses a public health crisis, the original CCR seeks for the City to:

1. Establish a budget plan with harm reduction strategies for the expenditure of funds related to the opioid settlement payments.
2. Explore expanding availability, training, and use of Naxalone (Narcan) for community-based non-profits and workers in all public-facing City departments as well as buildings that are owned, managed, and/or leased by the City. 
3. Develop and fund a City-sponsored program for pregnant people and new mothers experiencing opioid addiction.