Recovery Resource Council Partners with Dallas Fire and Rescue to Expand Overdose Response Team into Dallas County
Recovery Resource Council Partners with Dallas Fire and Rescue toExpand Overdose Response Team into Dallas County
Providing life-saving intervention to individuals who have recently experienced an overdose
Dallas, TX (March 7, 2023) – Due to critical demand, Recovery Resource Council (The Council) has expanded its Overdose Response Team (ORT) into Dallas County. The Overdose Response Team is a partnership between The Council and local first responders (EMS and/or law enforcement), whose purpose is to provide a life-saving intervention to individuals who have recently experienced an overdose. With approval from the City of Dallas last December, Recovery Resource Council has partnered with Dallas Fire and Rescue to create its Dallas Overdose Response Team.
“The launch of the Overdose Response Team in Dallas will save lives by providing those who survive an overdose the opportunity to connect to treatment,” says Eric Niedermayer, Chief Executive Office of Recovery Resource Council. “In addition, the ORT offers support, guidance and Narcan to their families.”
The Dallas ORT conducted its first follow up visit on January 23 and successfully served 13 clients in the first three weeks of the program. In August 2021, the Council was awarded funding to launch overdose response teams in Dallas, Denton, Collin, and Tarrant Counties. The Council subcontracted with MedStar Mobile Healthcare, who provides emergency medical services (EMS) services to 15 Tarrant County communities, and successfully launched the first overdose response team in North Texas in December of 2021.
The Overdose Response Team conducts follow up visits with individuals who have experienced an overdose within 24-72 hours of the incident. During these visits, clients and their households are given the opportunity to meet with a behavioral health profession who can provide life-saving education and a connection to supportive services, including treatment and recovery options as well as mental health services. The team also distributes Narcan and provides training on how it can be used to prevent overdose deaths, as well as how to perform basic CPR. Treatment and recovery options are also discussed if they are needed.
“Because of the increased prevalence of fentanyl in illicit drugs, many people who overdose are recreational or first-time users who’ve unknowingly consumed something that's been laced with fentanyl. They don't meet the diagnostic criteria of having a substance use disorder," says Becky Tinney, Director of Special Projects.
About Recovery Resource Council
With campuses in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Denton, Recovery Resource Council is the most comprehensive non-profit behavioral healthcare provider in North Texas, offering a pathway to recovery since 1946. Its mission is to promote wellness and recovery from disorders relating to alcohol, substance use, trauma, and mental health. The Council provides mental health services, outpatient treatment and recovery services, prevention programming, and housing services within 20 North Texas counties to over 30,000 adults and youth annually, including veterans and the chronically homeless. The Council is Joint Commission accredited and licensed by the State of Texas as an outpatient substance use disorder treatment provider. For more information, visitwww.RecoveryCouncil.org.