First case of vaping-related lung illness confirmed in King County

September 11, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

Public Health – Seattle & King County has identified a confirmed case of severe lung disease associated with E-cigarette use in a King County teenager. The patient was hospitalized in August for fever, cough and shortness of breath. He was treated in the intensive care unit and released from the hospital five days later and […]

Emergency departments become vital entry point to treat opioid-use disorder

August 29, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

Emergency rooms are ramping up their efforts to help patients start on life-saving medications to treat opioid use disorder.

‘Bupe Pathways’ program reduces illicit opioid use and improves quality of life

August 21, 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

The innovative ‘Bupe Pathways’ program is showing promising results for community members facing multiple barriers to traditional drug treatment.

Most recent overdose data released: 2018 data show most overdose deaths involve multiple drugs

July 2, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

Data from the 2018 Overdose Death Report is now available. The report finds that in recent years, overdoses from prescription opioids and heroin have remained stable, while overdoses involving methamphetamine and illicit fentanyl have increased.