SAN ANTONIO -- Bexar County is working to get ahead of the curve in fighting the opioid epidemic that's spreading across the country.

The use of legally prescribed opioid painkillers has quadrupled since the late 90's. That years-long trend is also a factor in the recent spike of illegal drugs like heroin.

Now, opioid-related overdoses are one of the leading causes of accidental deaths. In 2015 more than 33,000 people died across the country from an opioid-related overdose. That same year in Texas, it claimed the lives of nearly 2,000.

Bexar County's task force will pull local public health experts together to spread the message.

"We're getting a little bit ahead of the curve I think because it hasn't gotten as bad here. When you look around what's around the state of Texas, a lot of them are having a lot of problems. We're starting to have them here," said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.

Bexar County's task force will pull local public health experts together to spread the message. They are expected to begin collaborating within the next several weeks.

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