{"id":197,"date":"2024-08-28T01:36:53","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T01:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/?p=197"},"modified":"2024-08-28T01:48:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T01:48:24","slug":"addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing the Chronic Disease that is Opioid Use Disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_78712\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fCWiuruT07Y?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The opioid epidemic has gripped the United States since the 1990s. Dr. Asif Kahn, an internal medicine physician who also specializes in addiction treatment and heads Washington Northwest Integrated Health as its CEO and Medical Director, explains the disease at a Health &amp; Human Services Committee Meeting.<br><\/em><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"isPasted\">The opioid epidemic has gripped the United States since the 1990s, and it has taken a particularly heavy toll on Pierce County, Washington and the greater Puget Sound region. Between January 2021 and June 2023, more than 800 Pierce County residents lost their lives to drug overdoses, including those involving stimulants. The crisis is most rapidly growing among young adults aged 18-24, both in Washington State and Pierce County. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"isPasted\">In response to the ongoing and devastating impact of the opioid epidemic, the Pierce County Council included in its 2024 summer supplemental budget an allocation of an additional $2 million to establish new mobile medically assisted treatment services for individuals suffering from opioid use disorder, a chronic disease that requires lifelong treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf a person has opioid use disorder, they are going to have it for the rest of their life, and they are going to need medication,&#8221; says Dr. Asif Kahn, an internal medicine physician who also specializes in addiction treatment and heads Washington Northwest Integrated Health as its CEO and Medical Director. &#8220;How many of your family and friends, people you know, who are Type 2 Diabetic and not taking the medication, and just with lifestyle alone, managing their diabetes? I don\u2019t know any. Similarly, with opioid addiction, patients do need medication.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This budget appropriation is in addition to the $210,000 in the 2024-2025 Biennial Budget to support the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department\u2019s MedsFirst Pilot Program. This program aims to eliminate barriers to accessing medications for opioid use disorder, providing a crucial pathway to recovery for those affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All seven members of the Pierce County Council also signed a Proclamation designating Aug. 31 as Opioid Awareness Day to raise awareness about the significant need to combat the opioid crisis and encourage community members to seek education opportunities to increase their knowledge about the signs of overdose, the best response practices, local services and treatment options, and how to refer people with substance use disorder to additional services by visiting <a href=\"https:\/\/tpchd.org\/\">tpchd.org<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.211.org\/\">wa.211.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another important opioid crisis-related action authorized by the Council was the creation of the Opioid Abatement Council, OAC, which consists of the County and the cities of Auburn, Bonney Lake, Edgewood, Fife, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Puyallup, Sumner, Tacoma, and University Place. The OAC ensures the $48 million the Pierce County region will receive from various opioid settlements over the next 17 years is invested to have a substantial impact in addressing the opioid epidemic and aiding in recovery efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These settlements result from opioid manufacturers knowingly marketing opioids as non-addictive ways to manage chronic pain, leading people to become unknowingly addicted and develop opioid use disorder. The OAC will ensure that these funds are spent according to the settlement\u2019s approved uses, including treatment programs for addiction recovery and educational programs about the harms of opioid abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Addressing substance use disorder is a significant priority area of the Pierce County Council. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.piercecountywa.gov\/8366\/Behavioral-Health-Systems-Substance-Use-\">learn more about the budget appropriations the Council has made here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Pierce County Executive still needs to sign the summer supplemental budget before any changes to the 2024-2025 Biennial Budget can go into effect. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/online.co.pierce.wa.us\/cfapps\/council\/iview\/proposal.cfm?proposal_num=O2024-543s2\">read more about the summer supplemental here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Chantell Harmon Reed (center), Director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, receives the Council&#8217;s 2024 Opioid Awareness Day proclamation on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. Opioid Awareness Day is recognized internationally every August 31 to help reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths and remember people who have died because of substance poisoning. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The opioid epidemic has gripped the United States since the 1990s, and it has taken a particularly heavy toll on Pierce County, Washington and the greater Puget Sound region. Between January 2021 and June 2023, more than 800 Pierce County residents lost their lives to drug overdoses, including those involving stimulants. The crisis is most &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Addressing the Chronic Disease that is Opioid Use Disorder - The Council Compass<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Addressing the Chronic Disease that is Opioid Use Disorder - The Council Compass\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The opioid epidemic has gripped the United States since the 1990s, and it has taken a particularly heavy toll on Pierce County, Washington and the greater Puget Sound region. Between January 2021 and June 2023, more than 800 Pierce County residents lost their lives to drug overdoses, including those involving stimulants. The crisis is most &hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Council Compass\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-28T01:36:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-28T01:48:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-1024x576.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"council\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"council\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/\",\"name\":\"Addressing the Chronic Disease that is Opioid Use Disorder - The Council Compass\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-1024x576.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-28T01:36:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-28T01:48:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#\/schema\/person\/5b23fcc856aab56dce9eac516dcca5e2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1440},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Addressing the Chronic Disease that is Opioid Use Disorder\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/\",\"name\":\"The Council Compass\",\"description\":\"A Blog From the Office of the Pierce County Council\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#\/schema\/person\/5b23fcc856aab56dce9eac516dcca5e2\",\"name\":\"council\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/51b526efd3ed5cf5d3a017c02da0a858?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/51b526efd3ed5cf5d3a017c02da0a858?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"council\"},\"description\":\"The Council is the legislative branch of Pierce County government and is the policy-determining body of the County, as provided by the County Charter. The Council has all powers of the County not otherwise reserved to the people, the Executive, or general law. Members are elected from seven contiguous and equally populated districts. Each county councilmember represents a district having a population of approximately 131,500 people and is elected to four-year terms. Individual councilmembers may have their own blogs. This blog covers activities of the Council as a whole.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.piercecountywa.gov\/99\/Pierce-County-Council\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/author\/council\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Addressing the Chronic Disease that is Opioid Use Disorder - The Council Compass","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Addressing the Chronic Disease that is Opioid Use Disorder - The Council Compass","og_description":"The opioid epidemic has gripped the United States since the 1990s, and it has taken a particularly heavy toll on Pierce County, Washington and the greater Puget Sound region. Between January 2021 and June 2023, more than 800 Pierce County residents lost their lives to drug overdoses, including those involving stimulants. The crisis is most &hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/","og_site_name":"The Council Compass","article_published_time":"2024-08-28T01:36:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-28T01:48:24+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-1024x576.jpg"}],"author":"council","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"council","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/","name":"Addressing the Chronic Disease that is Opioid Use Disorder - The Council Compass","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-1024x576.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-28T01:36:53+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-28T01:48:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#\/schema\/person\/5b23fcc856aab56dce9eac516dcca5e2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/files\/2024\/08\/IMG_7645-1-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1440},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/2024\/08\/28\/addressing-the-chronic-disease-that-is-opioid-use-disorder\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Addressing the Chronic Disease that is Opioid Use Disorder"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/","name":"The Council Compass","description":"A Blog From the Office of the Pierce County Council","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#\/schema\/person\/5b23fcc856aab56dce9eac516dcca5e2","name":"council","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/51b526efd3ed5cf5d3a017c02da0a858?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/51b526efd3ed5cf5d3a017c02da0a858?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"council"},"description":"The Council is the legislative branch of Pierce County government and is the policy-determining body of the County, as provided by the County Charter. The Council has all powers of the County not otherwise reserved to the people, the Executive, or general law. Members are elected from seven contiguous and equally populated districts. Each county councilmember represents a district having a population of approximately 131,500 people and is elected to four-year terms. Individual councilmembers may have their own blogs. This blog covers activities of the Council as a whole.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.piercecountywa.gov\/99\/Pierce-County-Council"],"url":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/author\/council\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202,"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions\/202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/council\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}