Overdose, fentanyl deaths increase again in Travis County for 2023. Here's what we know.

For the third year in a row, overdoses were the leading cause of accidental deaths in Travis County for 2023 — a trend that's largely been driven by fentanyl's increase in the local drug supply.

These findings come from the 2023 Travis County medical examiner's report, which found overdose deaths increased by about 16% in 2023 compared to the previous year — marking a four-year trend of overdose deaths increasing each year. In that time, overdose deaths have spiked nearly 173%, from 178 in 2019 to 486 last year.

The medical examiner's report was presented to the Travis County Commissioners Court on Thursday. The medical examiner's office generally performs autopsies on unnatural deaths that occur in the county.

For the first time in four years, the proportion of fentanyl-related overdose deaths out of all overdose deaths slightly decreased in Travis County. However, the total number of fentanyl-related deaths still increased to 279 last year.

Travis County by far has the highest rate of fentanyl-related deaths in the state compared to other metro counties, with no clear reason as to why. Experts cited Austin's party scene, a lack of treatment options and the county's demographics as some possible reasons.

"This is just horrible," Commissioner Brigid Shea said on Thursday of the medical examiner's report, particularly regarding the increase in fentanyl deaths in the county.

More: Travis County has the highest rate of fentanyl deaths in Texas. Why is Austin a hot spot?

Travis County's increase in overdose deaths also bucks a national trend seen in 2023, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that the United States saw a 3% decrease in overdose deaths last year, the first time since 2018.

Despite accounting for 9% of the county's population, Black people are disproportionately more likely to die of an overdose, accounting for almost a fifth of overdoses last year.

Most overdose deaths in the county involve multiple drugs, with 5% of the 279 fentanyl-related deaths last year involving only fentanyl. Meanwhile, in more than half of fentanyl-related deaths, the person also tested positive for methamphetamine.

Advocates and law enforcement agencies have said they've found all sorts of drugs laced with fentanyl from cocaine to methamphetamine to marijuana.

These findings also come weeks after 79 people overdosed and nine people died in the span of a few days as a likely result of drugs laced with fentanyl. Police have not arrested anyone in connection to this deadly overdose surge.

Compared to 2020, the number of fentanyl-related deaths in Travis County has increased by almost 700%.

Last year, Travis County had 13 people ages 16-20 die of an overdose, with fentanyl being present in 12 of those deaths.

Since fentanyl deaths began increasing, the county has worked to try to get more Narcan, the nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose if caught in time, into the community. Experts and local advocates have previously told the American-Statesman they don't have enough resources.

The county is also beginning a new overdose data reporting system with the University of Texas called TxCOPE that will track each time an overdose occurs that doesn't result in first responders being called.

"My hope is that Narcan is getting out there and people are getting educated and using it, and that's reducing that ratio at least of deaths to overdoses," Travis County Judge Andy Brown said during Thursday's meeting. "But in any event, we still have a lot of work to do because this is an unacceptably high number of deaths that are preventable."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Travis County overdoses, fentanyl deaths increase again for 2023