Public Health Commission looks at curbing heat illnesses, promoting drug counselor training

The Austin-Travis County Public Health Commission is fine-tuning recommendations on two initiatives aimed at expanding harm reduction services and protecting outdoor workers from heat-related illnesses. During the latest meeting, commissioners reviewed draft recommendations on both issues but took no votes, opting to refine proposals at a future meeting before advancing them to City Council.

The harm reduction recommendation would allocate opioid abatement funds toward expanded outreach and peer support services, particularly targeting high-risk groups such as people who are unhoused, people recently released from incarceration and those recently hospitalized for overdoses​. Meeting documents show Travis County reported over 400 accidental drug-related deaths in 2023, and local EMS teams responded to more than 1,000 overdose-related calls in 2024​.

The proposal aims to use a portion of the up to $7.5 million expected from opioid abatement settlements over the next 18 years to support community organizations hiring peer support specialists to provide direct outreach, education and connections to care​. Commissioners emphasized that expanding peer support is a proven, evidence-based approach that reduces stigma and improves health outcomes for those with substance use disorders.

Commissioners also recommended clarifying agency responsibilities and identifying local training providers who could offer certification programs at reduced or subsidized rates. Currently, peer support training can cost upward of $900, limiting access for many prospective community workers. Suggestions included creating city- or county-sponsored training programs and leveraging existing scholarship opportunities from area organizations.

“I would love to be able to see somewhere adding in a recommendation that the city or the county creates a peer support training program that helps to cover the training cost so more people can get peer support training,” Commissioner Larry Wallace said. “That’s something that’s very tangible where we’re getting more people certified and credentialed. We’re making it easier for organizations to be able to tap in and get more people certified within their organizations. It can also become something that is a (return on investment) to the city and the county.”

The importance of including certified family partners in the expansion was also discussed as a tactic to help caregivers navigate resources for mental health and recovery for youth. Commissioners agreed to invite experts to provide additional guidance as the draft recommendation is finalized.

The commission is also considering a draft recommendation to establish a city incentive program for employers of outdoor workers, encouraging 10-minute water breaks every three hours during high-temperature months, roughly May through September​. The program would allow participating employers to self-certify compliance, allow for on-site inspections and in return receive incentives such as discounted city services including waste disposal and utilities.

Some commissioners questioned whether the proposed frequency of water breaks is sufficient, given rising local temperatures. Meeting documents noted that between May and September 2024, the Austin metro recorded 73 days with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and 15 heat-related deaths​. Commissioners recommended revising the proposal to require more frequent breaks, potentially every 30 minutes or based on real-time heat indexes.

Those revisions would align with guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and military standards for heat safety. Wallace said the similarities in water breaks with larger occupational safety groups would give more credibility to the city’s requirements.

“The question of how does it align to OSHA … the military has theirs and so it’s more based off of the intensity of the labor along with how hot it is. That way there’s more buy-in than a blanketed approach where it’s easier to push back,” he said.

Further suggestions included ensuring that break times exclude travel to water stations and defining “accessible water sources” within a reasonable distance from work areas. Commissioners also debated enforcement mechanisms, such as anonymous reporting options for workers and clearer compliance metrics beyond self-certification.

In addition to workplace protections, commissioners cited a recent city auditor’s report that calls for clearer timelines and goals to mitigate extreme heat risks, agreeing to incorporate findings from the audit into their final recommendation.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license. 

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