Kitsap will be hit hard with an Opioid Prevention Campaign over the next few months.
The state Department of Health has provided funding to support overdose awareness via an educational campaign. The Kitsap Public Health District discussed the effort at its meeting Jan. 7.
"It will encourage people to help each other," Tad Sooter of the KPHD said, adding anyone can download toolkits that can be used in communities.
The Friends for Life campaign explains everything about an overdose -- signs, response and reversal by using drugs such as Narcan. It also explains how unpredictable fentanyl can be, and gives prevention strategies for youth.
To get the message out, movie theaters in Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo and Silverdale will show public service announcements, which will also be on YouTube. Ferry terminals will have digital messages, and there will be billboards in Port Orchard and Bremerton.
For details go to kitsapfriendsforlife.org
In a related matter, Dr. Gib Morrow, KPHD health officer, talked about getting involved in a pilot program that provides a "missing link" in overdose situations. He said addicts have significant withdrawal symptoms after being administered Narcan. If the addict uses again as the drug wears off, death can occur.
Morrow said crisis immunization units would provide a great option to hospital emergency departments for a drug to ease withdrawal symptoms. "It would be a wonderful thing to see in Kitsap," he said, adding he's optimistic it could happen this year.
He said another effective drug for addicts is buprenorphine. "That hasn't caught on around the state like it should have," he said.
Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson, a KPHD board member, asked if the weight-loss drug Ozempic could be used to re-wire the brain to diminish drug use like it does with food.
Morrow said while it's a "game changer" with food, he hadn't heard of it being used for other addictive behaviors. He also said when folks stop taking Ozempic they've been known to regain the weight.
Jolene Kron of Salish Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization also mentioned Narcan, or Naloxone, in her presentation to the board. She said SBH-ASO has 34 distribution boxes in Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson counties, and use went from 1,619 last year to 4,054 in 2024.
She also talked about lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies that provided $7.5 million in Kitsap. About $6 million went to the county, $1.3 million to Bremerton, $159,000 to Bainbridge and $120,000 to Port Orchard. The three cities decided to pool their money, while Poulsbo did not because it "needed the funds independently," Kron said.
Erickson explained that Poulsbo was hit hard early on and has developed many of its own programs, including the new Recovery Cafe where homeless folks can get food "no questions asked."
Overall, Kron said that SBH-ASO provides oversight to the regional behavioral health crisis by serving low-income and underserved populations with a crisis line, outreach and voluntary treatment. Its budget is $18 million. It provided over 33,000 services to 7,104 people in 2023.
It provides outpatient treatment, housing, navigator, and youth and criminal justice help. Training includes suicide awareness and substance use disorder.
In his report, Morrow also said there have been two tuberculosis cases in the county and both were "diagnosed and isolated effectively."
He also said, as predicted, there was a spike in respiratory illnesses over Christmas, but it's already starting to taper off. He said COVID has not been a problem and the "vaccines do work."
Finally, he told the board about a bird flu outbreak near Shelton KPHD helped with. He said many cats got sick and died. Animals that eat or pick at sick birds are at the highest risk -- such as at poultry farms. He said entire flocks died or had to be euthanized in Benton and Franklin counties. There were also turkey recalls.
KPHD administrator Yolanda Fong gave an update on employee pay. She said union negotiations continue, but non-union folks will get a 4% raise. Once the union agreement is made, if there is a "mismatch" that agreement will be brought back to provide equity.