Category: medic one

De Blasio pleads to Trump for help with homeless crisis

Mayor Bill de Blasio pleaded with President Trump on Sunday for help with the burgeoning homeless situation wreaking havoc throughout the city.

Read more HERE

Also…

Trump slams New York City, California over ‘tremendous’ homeless crisis

“California and New York must do something about their TREMENDOUS Homeless problems,” he wrote.

“If their Governors can’t handle the situation, which they should be able to do very easily, they must call and ‘politely’ ask for help. Would be so easy with competence!”

Read more HERE

Spike in King Co. overdose deaths linked to fentanyl-laced pills, powders

If you need Help: Opioids | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Cataldo Ambulance medics and other first responders revive a 32-year-old man who was found unresponsive and not breathing after an opioid overdose on a sidewalk in the Boston suburb of Everett, Massachusetts, U.S., August 23, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

The recent increase in overdose deaths in King County have been linked to fentanyl-laced pills and powders, officials confirm.

Between mid-June to mid-September of this year alone, there have been 141 suspected and confirmed drug overdose deaths, according to Seattle & King County Public Health. In 2018, there were 109.

M30 pills, also known as Oxycodone, were the most common synthetic opioid pain relievers used in Washington state, followed by V48 and A212 pills. White powders were also very common.

From: KOMO NEWS

If you need Help: Opioids | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Seattle Police stocking up on opioid overdose medicine – EVENT! SAT AUGUST 31, 2019

Eight cities in Washington will host events for Overdose Awareness Day, Saturday.

The Seattle Police Department has ordered 145 more doses of naloxone, the opioid overdose medicine, to be distributed across their five precincts. Read More

According to the National Safety Council, there were 61,311 preventable drug overdoses in the country in 2017.

Of those, more than 43,000 involved opioids.

For more information of the efforts in Washington state to stop overdoses, click here.

August 31, Seattle
Who: VOCAL Washington

What: Resilience, Remembrance and Healing. An event to create a space that holds people that are grieving and also increases awareness of the issue of overdose and what can be done to prevent them. Naloxone distribution and overdose prevention training.

Where: Occidental Park, 117 South Washington Street, Seattle, WA 98104

When: August 31, 2019, 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Contact: info@vocal-wa.org

Overdose Awareness Day Events 2019

August 21, Mount Vernon
Who: Pioneer Counseling/Phoenix Recovery Services. Skagit County

What: Overdose Awareness Event, Awareness Walk at 5:00 p.m. Free NARCAN, overdose response trainings, food, music, tribute board, resource booth.

Where: Cleveland Park, 1401 Cleveland Street, Mount Vernon, WA, 98273

When: August 21, 2019. 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Contact: (360) 848-8437

August 28, Yakima
Who: Triumph Treatment Services

What: “Time to Remember. Time to Act”. Memorial wall to honor those who were lost due to an overdose. Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of loved ones impacted or lost, and to stand in solidarity with friends and families of fatal overdose victims.

Where: Franklin Park. 410 S 19th Ave, Yakima, WA, 98902

When: August 28, 2019, 3:00 p.m. – Dusk

Contact: Triumph Treatment Services (509) 571-1455

August 28, Belfair
Who: Mason County

What: “Mason County Overdose Awareness Month”. Overdose awareness walk, resources, treatment providers, naloxone distribution and overdose response training.

Where: North Mason Timberland Library. 23081 NE State Route 3, Belfair, WA 98528

When: August 28, 2019, 4:00 p.m. till 7:00 p.m. Awareness walk starts at 6:00 p.m.

Contact: Abe Gardner (360) 463-2238

August 29, Shelton
Who: Mason County

What: “Mason County Overdose Awareness Month”. Overdose awareness walk, resources, treatment providers, naloxone distribution and overdose response training.

Where: Kneeland Park, West Railroad Ave, Shelton, WA 98584

When: August 29, 2019, 4:00 p.m. till 7pm. Awareness walk starts at 6:00 p.m.

Contact: Abe Gardner (360) 463-2238

August 31, Vancouver
Who: Clark County Public Health, Southwest Washington Accountable Community of Health, and Clark County Opioid Task Force

What: Opioid overdose intervention training with the overdose prevention drug, Naloxone. A limited supply of free Naloxone kits will be available at the event. RSVP for overdose intervention training: https://sw_wa_opioid_awareness_day_2019.eventbrite.com

There will also be the third annual Southwest Washington Overdose Awareness Day candlelight vigil from 6-8pm, no RSVP needed.

Where: Marshall Community Center, 1009 E McLoughlin Blvd, Vancouver, WA 98663

When: August 31, 2019. Overdose prevention training 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Candlelight Vigil 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Contact: jim.jensen@southwestach.org

September 5, Everett
Who: Snohomish County Overdose Prevention

What: “A Night to Remember, A Time to Act.” Resource fair, speakers, candlelight vigil, attendees are encouraged to bring photos of loved ones lost to overdose or impacted by drug use.

Where: Snohomish County Campus, 3000 Rockefeller Ave, #5, Everett, WA, 98201

When: September 5, 2019. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Doors open at 6pm, indoor resource fair 6:30-7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. move outside for speakers and candlelight vigil.

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/events/342389723365852/

September 6, Okanogan
Who: Okanogan County Public Health

What: An event to remember friends and family affected by overdose. We will offer resources, including overdose response training and naloxone distribution.

Where: Okanogan County Public Health 1234 2nd Ave South, Okanogan, WA 98840

When: September 6, 2019. 6230-4:30 p.m.

Contact: (509) 422-7140

Seattle Firefighters Need Your Help!

Seattle Fire Foundation, community support help firefighters get new bulletproof vests

SEATTLE — Seattle firefighters need more bulletproof vests because of growing dangers on the job. The department has gotten a few, but still needed more than 200 vests and there’s no more money from the city to pay for them.

But, with help from the Seattle Fire Foundation, more than $55,000 has been raised in community and corporate donations.

“With that, we will immediately be purchasing 40 sets of ballistic gear to help protect our firefighters,” said Lindsey Pflugrath, the chair of Seattle Fire Foundation.

The Seattle Fire Department says each bulletproof vest, along with accessories, costs about $1,300. The city supplied the department 25 of them at $1,300 each, coming out to $32,500.

But, the department wants a total of 250 of them. The total bill would be about $325,000. Many of them will have to be paid for with the help of community donations.

“We have 215 firefighters on duty every day,” said Chief Harold Scoggins with Seattle Fire Department.

Firefighters are doing more than putting out fires.

Seattle Fire Department Facebook

SFD CPR Training (Medic II)

The Seattle Fire Department provides training classes in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and choking techniques.

Since the CPR Program (Medic II) started in 1971, more than 850,000 Seattle and King County residents have been trained and retrained in the lifesaving technique of CPR. Studies have shown that prompt bystander CPR more than doubles a patient’s chances of becoming a long-term survivor.

Medic II Program
Phone:(206) 684-7274
Email:medic2@seattle.gov

BEWARE: Fentanyl overdose deaths up 70 percent in Wash., health officials say

Photo from Public Health Seattle & King County shows pills containing fentanyl that were sold on the streets of Seattle.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The number of people who died from an overdose of illicit fentanyl increased nearly 70 percent this year over last in Washington state, health officials said Wednesday.

NARCAN SPRAY

Read more HERE

Public libraries and YMCAs to get Narcan to prevent opioid overdoses

Narcan, that drug meant to help prevent an opioid overdose, is becoming more readily available.

Seattle police carry it. It’s available at CVS and Walgreens without a prescription. And now, it’s going to be available at thousands of public libraries and YMCAs nationwide.

Every day, 115 people in the U.S. die because of opioid overdoses.

October 15, 2018 – Seattle Neighborhood Business District Safety Forum

OCT 15 Seattle Neighborhood Business District Safety Forum
by SODO BIA
Free

Actions and Detail Panel

Event Information

DESCRIPTION
The BIAs of Ballard, Chinatown/International District, University District, Pioneer Square, and SODO are collaborating in our efforts to engage with city, county, and state officials to address the increasing challenges our businesses are experiencing with drug dealers/users, public disorder, threatening behaviors and crime toward our customers and employees.

We want to invite you to attend a constructive conversation with our elected officials about the problems and solutions to our public safety concerns.

Questions? Email us at: info@sodoseattle.org

—

Agenda:

1. Facilitator Introductions – 5 minutes

2. BIA Panel Presentation – 40 minutes

What BIAs are doing
Crime Stats
Business, employee, and customer concerns
BIA request for action
3. City, County, State responses – 40 minutes

Enforcement
Prosecution
Services
4. Public Comment – 30 minutes

5. Conclusion and Next Steps – 10 minutes

President Donald J. Trump’s Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand

HEALTHCARE

We will work to strengthen vulnerable families and communities, and we will help to build and grow a stronger, healthier, and drug-free society.

President Donald J. Trump

ADDRESSING THE DRIVING FORCES OF THE OPIOID CRISIS: President Donald J. Trump’s Initiative to Stop Opioids Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand will confront the driving forces behind the opioid crisis.

President Trump’s Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse will address factors fueling the opioid crisis, including over-prescription, illicit drug supplies, and insufficient access to evidence-based treatment, primary prevention, and recovery support services.

The President’s Opioid Initiative will:

Reduce drug demand through education, awareness, and preventing over-prescription.
Cut off the flow of illicit drugs across our borders and within communities.

Save lives now by expanding opportunities for proven treatments for opioid and other drug addictions.
REDUCE DEMAND AND OVER-PRESCRIPTION: President Trump’s Opioid Initiative will educate Americans about the dangers of opioid and other drug use and seek to curb over-prescription.

Launch a nationwide evidence-based campaign to raise public awareness about the dangers of prescription and illicit opioid use, as well as other drug use.

Support research and development efforts for innovative technologies and additional therapies designed to prevent addiction and decrease the use of opioids in pain management.

This will include supporting research and development for a vaccine to prevent opioid addiction and non-addictive pain management options.

Reduce the over-prescription of opioids which has the potential to lead Americans down a path to addiction or facilitate diversion to illicit use.

Implement a Safer Prescribing Plan to achieve the following objectives:

Cut nationwide opioid prescription fills by one-third within three years.

Ensure that 75 percent of opioid prescriptions reimbursed by Federal healthcare programs are issued using best practices within three years, and 95 percent within five years.

Ensure that at least half of all Federally-employed healthcare providers adopt best practices for opioid prescribing within two years, with all of them doing so within five years.

Leverage Federal funding opportunities related to opioids to ensure that States transition to a
nationally interoperable Prescription Drug Monitoring Program network.

CUT OFF THE SUPPLY OF ILLICIT DRUGS: President Trump’s Opioid Initiative will crack down on international and domestic illicit drug supply chains devastating American communities:

Keep dangerous drugs out of the United States.

Secure land borders, ports of entry, and water ways against illegal smuggling.
Require advance electronic data for 90 percent of all international mail shipments (with goods) and consignment shipments within three years, in order for the Department of Homeland Security to flag high-risk shipments.

Identify and inspect high-risk shipments leveraging advanced screening technologies and by using drug-detecting canines.

Test and identify suspicious substances in high-risk international packages to quickly detect and remove known and emerging illicit drugs before they can cause harm.
Engage with China and expand cooperation with Mexico to reduce supplies of heroin, other illicit opioids, and precursor chemicals.

Advance the Department of Justice (DOJ) Prescription Interdiction and Litigation (PIL) Task Force to fight the prescription opioid crisis. The PIL Task Force will:

Expand the DOJ Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit’s efforts to prosecute corrupt or criminally negligent doctors, pharmacies, and distributors.

Aggressively deploy appropriate criminal and civil actions to hold opioid manufacturers accountable for any unlawful practices.

Shut down illicit opioid sales conducted online and seize any related assets.
Scale up internet enforcement efforts under DOJ’s new Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) team.

Strengthen criminal penalties for dealing and trafficking in fentanyl and other opioids:
DOJ will seek the death penalty against drug traffickers, where appropriate under current law.
The President also calls on Congress to pass legislation that reduces the threshold amount of drugs needed to invoke mandatory minimum sentences for drug traffickers who knowingly distribute certain illicit opioids that are lethal in trace amounts.

HELP THOSE STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION: President Trump’s Opioid Initiative will help those struggling with addiction through evidence-based treatment and recovery support services:

Work to ensure first responders are supplied with naloxone, a lifesaving medication used to reverse overdoses.

Leverage Federal funding opportunities to State and local jurisdictions to incentivize and improve nationwide overdose tracking systems that will help resources to be rapidly deployed to hard-hit areas.
Expand access to evidence-based addiction treatment in every State, particularly Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioid addiction.

Seek legislative changes to the law prohibiting Medicaid from reimbursing residential treatment at certain facilities with more than 16 beds.

In the meantime, continue approving State Medicaid demonstration projects that waive these barriers to inpatient treatment.

Provide on-demand, evidence-based addiction treatment to service members, veterans and their families eligible for healthcare through the Departments of Defense or Veterans Affairs.
Leverage opportunities in the criminal justice system to identify and treat offenders struggling with addiction.

Screen every Federal inmate for opioid addiction at intake.

For those who screen positive and are approved for placement in residential reentry centers, facilitate naltrexone treatment and access to treatment prior to and while at residential reentry centers and facilitate connection to community treatment services as needed.

Scale up support for State, Tribal, and local drug courts in order to provide offenders struggling with addiction access to evidence-based treatment as an alternative to or in conjunction with incarceration, or as a condition of supervised release.

StopOverdose.org

http://stopoverdose.org/

Opioid trends across Washington state

Death data from the Washington State Department of Health Center for Health Statistics are combined with population data from the Office of Financial Management to create rates of death. Data include only deaths for which an underlying cause of death was determined to be any opioid. For more information on data, see details at the end of the page.

ST. JOHNSBURY, VT – FEBRUARY 06: Drugs are prepared to shoot intravenously by a user addicted to heroin on February 6, 2014 in St. Johnsbury Vermont. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin recently devoted his entire State of the State speech to the scourge of heroin. Heroin and other opiates have begun to devastate many communities in the Northeast and Midwest leading to a surge in fatal overdoses in a number of states. As prescription painkillers, such as the synthetic opiate OxyContin, become increasingly expensive and regulated, more and more Americans are turning to heroin to fight pain or to get high. Heroin, which has experienced a surge in production in places such as Afghanistan and parts of Central America, has a relatively inexpensive street price and provides a more powerful affect on the user. New York City police are currently investigating the death of the actor Philip Seymour Hoffman who was found dead last Sunday with a needle in his arm. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Any opioid: primary categories and sub-categories
Probable heroin
Other opioids
Commonly prescribed opioids
Methadone
Other natural and semi-synthetic opioids: Oxycodone, codeine, morphine, etc.
Other synthetic opioids: Pethidine, tramadol, fentanyl and analogues, etc.
Other and unspecified narcotics, including opium
Deaths attributed to any opioid: 72% increase

As a whole, opioid deaths regardless of subtype occur throughout the state. Modest declines in the opioid death rate in Chelan and Spokane Counties (and some smaller counties) between 2002-2004 and 2014-2016 have been outweighed by increases in most counties, particularly more populous counties. The later period reflects a decline in deaths from intervening years–opioid deaths peaked in 2009 at 720 statewide.

Read more HERE

UW Health Fair – Opioid Overdose Prevention Education & Naloxone Distribution

UW Health Fair – Opioid Overdose Prevention Education & Naloxone Distribution
May 22, 2018, 11am-3pm
UW Red Square, 4063 Spokane Ln, Seattle

DCHS and the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute/Center for Opioid Safety Education will provide information on opioid overdose prevention education, provide training to reverse overdose using Naloxone, and distribute 50 Naloxone nasal sprays to (Naloxone-trained) UW Health Fair participants.

(Supplies of Naloxone are limited, and have been provided through a grant awarded to King County DCHS through Adapt Pharma, to support community-based, opioid overdose prevention awareness events.)

Visit the Website

NARCAN Webiste