Texas Receives $2.6 Million for Public Health Response to Opioid Epidemic

houstonpublicmedia.org

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has received $2.6 million in federal funds to expand the state’s public health response to opioids over the next year. The funds come through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and will help local health departments and health care providers prevent overdose deaths and enhance the available data on opioid use in Texas, as well as expand the prescriber network for medication assisted treatment. According to DSHS, the funds will also improve the department’s ability to track opioid related illnesses and other conditions being seen in emergency rooms around Texas. Additionally, they will provide researchers and the public with more information on opioid use and its consequences via the DSHS Texas Health Data website. The website will allow access to more data and more quickly, down to county and ZIP code levels.