Jose Saul Cruz Jr. was found not breathing at 11:06 PM on November 5, 2022, in the Lamesa, Texas, Dawson County Jail. Lifesaving measures began immediately, including chest compressions. Jail staff contacted emergency medical services (EMS), and they arrived at 11:12 PM, the time when Mr. Cruz was pronounced deceased.

What to Do if Someone is Overdosing on Opioids or Another Substance

Although people frequently recover from an opioid overdose after an application of naloxone, it is a temporary treatment. In some circumstances, more than one dose might be required, particularly if illicitly manufactured fentanyls (IMFs) are involved in the overdose event.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided the following steps to take if you believe someone is overdosing on opioids or another substance:

• Immediately call 9-1-1.
• If it is available, administer naloxone as quickly as possible. Do not wait for emergency workers or for any other reason before administering naloxone.
• Keep the person awake and breathing, if at all possible.
• To prevent choking, lay the individual on their side.
• Stay with the person until the arrival of emergency workers.

Travis County, Texas, Announces Countywide Plans for the Distribution of Naloxone

In November 2022 news, officials in Travis County, Texas, announced details about plans for enhancing access to naloxone and training programs countywide. More than 1,600 doses were ordered to distribute to community partners. Back on May 24, 2022, the Travis County Commissioners Court declared drug overdoses a public health crisis. At that time, they submitted the large order for naloxone.

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series.

Providing helpful information to Texas inmates detained in local jails is the purpose for which this website was created. There is no intention on this site of implicating institutions or individuals in acts of wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor