HAYS COUNTY COMMISSIONER’S COURT
Decline in deaths marks success of community efforts to combat crisis
The Hays County Commissioners Court proclaimed April 29 as “Fentanyl Awareness and Overdose Day” last week, prior to a discussion featuring Janel Rodriguez, founder of the nonprofit Forever 15, and Texas State fentanyl education advocate Kelly Clary. The Hays County Sheriff’s Office also provided data on the decreasing number of fentanyl deaths in the county since 2022.
“Collaboration among local government, law enforcement, public health agencies, educators, higher education institutes and community partners is critical in addressing the fentanyl crisis,” according to the proclamation. “Alongside our community partners, families, educators, and organizations throughout the county continue to demonstrate leadership and commitment to increasing awareness and expanding access to resources in Hays County.”
Matthew Gonzales, Hays County Health Department Director, speaking following the reading of the proclamation, stressed this collaboration between the county and local organizations.
“Part of the mission behind the Behavioral Health Division is to be that lighthouse helping highlight resources for the community,” he said. “But part of Public Health’s mission is also social marketing, which is helping change the behaviors of our residents towards positive outcomes. And we can really accomplish that work through the work with our partners that are nonprofits, but also academia.”
Janel Rodriguez started the Forever 15 project after her 15-year-old son Noah died of fentanyl poisoning in 2022.
“We were losing so many kids that year here in Hays County, and I grew up here, and I knew that I didn’t want any more of our kids to die,” Rodriguez said. “We wanted Hays County to be known for something more than just losing all of these kids.”
“Because of this tragedy, we started the Forever 15 Project to spread awareness and to provide resources for those who are at risk or who know someone at risk and to honor those who have been lost,” according to the Forever 15 website.
Chief Deputy Brett Bailey of the Hays County Sheriff’s Office provided an update on fentanyl poisonings in the county in a letter submitted in conjunction with the proclamation: “2022 marked the highest number of poisonings, with 31 incidents and six resulting in death. In 2023, there were 25 poisonings with eight fatalities. In 2024 that number dropped significantly to nine poisonings, six of which were fatal. In 2025 we saw just four poisonings and notably zero deaths.
“Over the past year, from April 1, 2025, to April 1, 2026, we have documented only two poisonings, both early this year, with none reported since January,” according to Bailey.
Bailey also praised the work of Rodriguez and Noah’s father Brandon.
“Our agency has been fortunate to partner with Janel Rodriguez and Brandon Dunn through the Forever 15 project initiative that has made a profound and measurable impact, not only in Hays County, but across the country and beyond.
“Since its inception in 2022 Forever 15 has reached more than 10,000 students, along with countless parents and community members through conferences and presentations. Their work has extended far outside of Central Texas, even internationally, as keynote speakers at a major drug conference in Mexico City,” according to Bailey.
Commissioner Walt Smith said that the Forever 15 project started as a request by Rodriguez to put up a billboard on I-35 to make people aware of the dangers of fentanyl.
“We’ve come a long way from that,” Smith said. “I want to thank our DA’s office for being so proactive, going after the highest sentences they can for the people who are dealing this in our community. I think there is an understanding in our community now that if you deal or If you deal in fentanyl, you could get charged with murder.”
Kelly Clary, Associate Professor at Texas State University, spoke in support of the proclamation. Clary’s current funded projects include a $1.9 million SAMHSA grant supporting Hays County in implementing fentanyl education for middle and high schoolers.
“Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. What makes fentanyl especially dangerous is not just its potency, but its presence where people don’t expect it,” Clary said “It is increasingly found mixed into counterfeit pills and other substances, often without a person’s knowledge. Many individuals who experience an overdose never intended to use fentanyl at all.”
Clary emphasized that fentanyl awareness is not just a public health issue, but a community responsibility.
“It requires collaborations between school districts, healthcare providers, first responders, policymakers as well as families. It is about making sure that every person, especially our youth and young adults, have access to accurate information, practical tools and the confidence to act when it matters most,” Clary said.
