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Hays County honors fentanyl awareness; sheriff's data cited drop in poisonings
Summary
The commissioner's court adopted a fentanyl-awareness proclamation and community members and the sheriff's office credited Forever 15 outreach with decreases in documented poisonings in county sheriff data over recent years.
Hays County commissioners adopted a proclamation recognizing National Fentanyl Awareness Day and heard testimony from Janelle Rodriguez of Forever 15, who described outreach after losing her son to fentanyl poisoning in 2022.
Rodriguez said the group's work has expanded beyond Hays County, telling the court: "We travel all the time nationwide speaking to kids and parents in conferences and anyone who wants to learn more about fentanyl and hear Noah's story." The sheriff's office provided a letter with detailed year-by-year figures from agency records: 2022 recorded 31 poisonings with six deaths; 2023, 25 poisonings with eight fatalities; 2024, nine poisonings with six fatalities; and 2025, four poisonings and zero deaths. From April 1, 2025, to April 1, 2026, the sheriff's office documented two poisonings.
Sheriff leadership credited education and outreach programs, including Forever 15, and urged continued vigilance as more potent synthetic analogs emerge. "This underscores the need for continued education, prevention, and community engagement," a sheriff's letter read in part. County officials and speakers recommended maintaining prevention and treatment resources and continuing partnerships between public health, law enforcement and community groups.
The court adopted the proclamation and invited community partners to participate in ongoing awareness efforts and events.
