About Us

Hello! We are the Fentanyl Education, Support Training, and Awareness Program (FESTA).

Purpose: Through increasing fentanyl awareness and education, the FESTA Program aims to reduce the onset and progression of fentanyl use and its related consequences in Hays County, Texas.

Project Goals:

  1. Identify the needs of the Hays County community as they relate to substance use
  2. Create and implement evidence-based substance use curriculum for:
    • Sixth though twelfth grade students
    • Teachers/staff
    • Parents/caretakers
  3. Provide alternative events for students during Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week
  4. Employ a youth Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) for students for problem identification and referral
  5. Implement community outreach events to increase the awareness and knowledge of substance use

Number of people to be served: We will serve 1,800 adolescents and 100 adults annually, and more than 9,000 adolescents and 500 adults over the project’s lifetime

Why are we doing this? To combat the growing national and state-level fentanyl crisis, in June 2023, Texas passed Tucker’s Law (HB 3908) which mandates schools to provide sixth through twelfth grade students with evidence-based substance use curriculum.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided financial support to this project. The award provided $1,872,657 from September 30, 2024, through September 30, 2029. The contents are those of the authors. They may not reflect the policies of SAMHSA or the U.S. Government. Award number: SP084273-01.