Public Health calls for community safety as fentanyl-involved deaths rise

April 23, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

Public Health – Seattle & King County reminds our community that pills purchased off the street or online without a prescription likely contains illicit fentanyl—the drug that can lead to overdose and death. In just the past two weeks, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified 14 people whose lives were lost to drug overdose involving fentanyl.

Alert: Three fentanyl overdoses deaths in one day

February 7, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

Public Health – Seattle & King County is alerting people to avoid pills from the street or online. The warning comes after three fatal overdoses were reported near the border of Kent and Renton on the morning of February 6, 2020. These three deaths were close together geographically and within a short time period, causing particular concern.

The Public Health Notebook: Snapshots from October 2019

October 31, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

The Public Health Insider has more information on how new WIC cards make a better experience for clients, and also on how to recognize the signs of overdose and where deadly fentanyl has been found. With health insurance enrollment beginning, you’ll find lots of information on our website about enrollment events where you can get […]

Fentanyl awareness materials to share with our communities

October 18, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

With the recent uptick in fatal overdoses due to fentanyl found in counterfeit pills, Public Health wants to be sure everyone has the information they need to stay safe. Read and share the following information with everyone you know: Do not consume any pill that you do not directly receive from a pharmacy or your […]

Overdose update: Recent increase in overdose deaths linked to fentanyl-laced pills and powders

September 26, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

Update October 3, 2019 – Public Health officials continue to be concerned about increases in fentanyl overdose deaths in King County, driven by fentanyl found in counterfeit pills and in powders. As we reported below, between mid-June and mid-September 2019, there have been 141 suspected and confirmed drug overdose deaths. Since September 26, 2019, there […]

Update: Carfentanil found in syringe at scene of January overdoses

January 18, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Update as of 3/19/19: On March 8, 2019 Public Health received additional testing results from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab from a syringe found at the scene of multiple overdoses that took place in the north area of Seattle on January 17, 2019. The syringe was found to contain carfentanil, in addition to heroin. […]