HHSC Highlights Resources During Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month

AUSTIN - The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is highlighting resources that help Texans prevent, recognize and reverse fentanyl poisonings as the state observes Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month (PDF) in October.

"Across Texas and the United States, people unknowingly make a deadly decision by taking pills laced with fentanyl and lose their lives as a result," Gov. Greg Abbott said. "That is why I launched the statewide, comprehensive 'One Pill Kills' campaign to educate the public on the deadly fentanyl crisis that endangers Texans of all ages. I encourage my fellow Texans to speak openly and have meaningful conversations about the dangers of fentanyl as we recognize Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month to help save lives and fight for a future free from fentanyl poisoning."

Gov. Abbott announced the launch of the "One Pill Kills" campaign in 2023. The statewide campaign garnered more than 2.7 billion impressions through advertising on social media, podcasts, digital displays, billboards and other media. Downloadable materials and other resources to educate Texans about the dangers of fentanyl are available at OnePillKillsTX.com.

"Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month is an opportunity to come together as a state to educate, empower and protect our communities," said Trina Ita, deputy executive commissioner of HHSC Behavioral Health Services. "Through the Texas Targeted Opioid Response program, HHSC is expanding access to life-saving resources and supporting people and families affected by substance use."

Texas Targeted Opioid Response provides access to prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services to address the opioid and fentanyl crisis. The HHSC program addresses opioid and stimulant use disorders by increasing access to overdose reversal medications and reducing overdose deaths through evidence-based programming.

HHSC also contracts with The University of Texas at San Antonio to manage Naloxone Texas, a statewide program that provides overdose prevention education and access to naloxone. Naloxone and opioid overdose response training are available through the Naloxone Texas website.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin.

From July 2024 to June 2025, 1,231 Texans died from a fentanyl-related poisoning, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). In the previous 12-month period, DSHS reported 2,151 fentanyl-related deaths.