Texas Health and Human Services is launching a new website to promote Texas Targeted Opioid Response, a statewide public health effort to fight against opioid addiction and overdose.
The new website, TXopioidresponse.org, is available in English and Spanish, and it will feature videos, the latest information, and helpful resources.
According to Texas Health and Human Services, the website will also provide tips for safe opioid use and information about the dangers of misusing prescription opioid medications.
"One in five Texans has experienced an opioid overdose or know someone who has," Kasey Strey, TTOR Director at Texas Health and Human Services Commission, said. "We are dedicated to preventing prescription opioid misuse, overdoses and opioid use disorder. With awareness of the risks and how to take medications safely, Texans can prevent opioid misuse and help put an end to the opioid crisis."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every day, 128 people in the United States die after an overdose involving either prescription or illicit opioids like heroin.
Nearly 80% of people nationwide who use heroin report misusing prescription opioids beforehand, the CDC said.
Texas Health and Human Services said the information available on TXopioidresponse.org promotes understanding of what opioid medications are, how they affect the body, how misuse can lead to dangerous side effects, and how to safely manage pain.
