International Overdose Awareness Day: Taking Action to Save Lives

naloxone and kit

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day. Every year, this serves as a time to remember our fellow community members who have died of or survived an overdose and raise awareness of ways to prevent future overdoses. This year, King County is working with community partners to expand the use of naloxone (also known as Narcan) – a powerful and very safe tool that can save the life of someone experiencing an opioid overdose – and educate the community about available treatments for opioid use disorder.

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The value of medications for opioid use disorder

Written by Troy Seibert, Public Health – Seattle & King County, Overdose Prevention and Response As we confront an alarming rise in overdose deaths, King County is working to expand access to a proven, life-saving intervention. Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), specifically buprenorphine, lowers risk of death by about 50%. These medications, along with, […]

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How a new federal rule change may make access to treatment for opioid use disorder easier

On April 27, the Department of Health and Human Services announced new regulatory changes for prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD). We sat down with Brad Finegood, Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Strategic Advisor on Behavioral Health, to learn more about the new rule change and how it may impact treatment access in our community.

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Alert: Spike in fatal overdoses in our community

Public Health – Seattle & King County is alerting our community about a sharp rise in fatal overdoses over the past two weeks. In the period from Dec. 27, 2020 to Jan. 9, 2021, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified 42 suspected or confirmed overdose deaths.

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