Young people’s mental health and substance use in King County: What we’re learning from the data

April 29, 2025.Reading time 10 minutes.

A parent with her arms around two teenagers in front of a housing complex.

Young people in King County have seen some improvement in rates of mental health conditions since the pandemic but they continue to face challenges, according to data analyzed by King County’s Best Starts for Kids program. The data can help identify areas of investment to support young people’s needs.

Support Makes a Difference: Recovery is Possible

December 28, 2023.Reading time 10 minutes.

The image shows two individuals sitting on a couch. One person is comforting the other. They are indoors, with a window featuring horizontal blinds in the background.

For those with substance use disorder, it’s important to remember that recovery is possible, and support can make all the difference in the life of a loved one suffering from addiction. Recovery is a journey and often not linear, so support and non-judgmental connections are essential no matter where someone is in their journey.

Substance use prevention and early intervention: Key steps to reduce harm and prevent use before it starts

July 19, 2023.Reading time 13 minutes.

Close up of two people holding each others hands in comfort

Substance use disorders continue to impact people from all walks of life. As the understanding and science of addiction evolves, so too does our understanding of ways to prevent substance use disorder and increase support for communities. As a follow up to the blog post on substance use disorder treatment, we are taking a closer look at prevention.

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

May 17, 2021.Reading time 9 minutes.

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.

Alert: Spike in fatal overdoses in our community

January 14, 2021.Reading time 5 minutes.

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.