Seattle to open short-term recovery center for people after a fentanyl overdose

SEATTLE -- Seattle volition unfastened a caller abstraction for radical to retrieve and person attraction for astir 24 hours aft they person overdosed connected fentanyl oregon different drugs, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced Thursday.

The halfway is slated to unfastened adjacent the Pioneer Square vicinity successful mid-2025 and volition beryllium tally by a homelessness and substance maltreatment nonprofit enactment called the Downtown Emergency Services Center.

In the archetypal 4 months of this year, exigency services treated astir 2,500 opioid overdoses crossed King County, which includes Seattle, KUOW reported. Over 200 deaths caused by opioid-related overdoses were recorded successful that aforesaid period.

Opioid overdose deaths, which are caused by heroin, fentanyl and oxycodone, person accrued dramatically successful the city, authorities and crossed the U.S. In Portland, Oregon, elected leaders declared a authorities of exigency earlier this twelvemonth implicit the nationalist wellness and nationalist information situation fueled by fentanyl.

Emergency responders successful Seattle, erstwhile the halfway is open, volition connection to instrumentality radical determination pursuing an overdose and attraction with Narcan, a nasal spray that tin reverse the effects of opioids.

A dose of Narcan tin trigger aggravated withdrawal symptoms and tin pb radical to question much fentanyl. City officials and work providers said the caller space, called the Overdose Recovery and Care Access center, volition connection a harmless spot to recuperate arsenic good arsenic services.

"The conditions we spot connected our streets due to the fact that of fentanyl necessitate each level of governance to measurement up successful advancing urgent compassionate, loving and innovative solutions,” Harrell said.

People who spell to the halfway tin enactment for up to 23 hours and volition person entree to aesculapian attraction and attraction options from buprenorphine, which tin easiness withdrawal symptoms, to an archetypal circular of methadone, the astir commonly utilized attraction for opioid substance use. Officials estimation the tract volition service 20 to 25 clients per day.

The Downtown Emergency Services Center volition person $5.65 cardinal to unfastened the center. Additionally, Evergreen Treatment Services volition get $1.35 cardinal to run a mobile clinic, bringing medications to radical wherever they are.

The wealth comes from a national assistance and is portion of a $27 cardinal concern pledged by Harrell’s medication to code the fentanyl crisis. Health workers and exigency responders said Thursday they expected involvement successful the halfway would beryllium high, The Seattle Times reported.

Dr. Caleb Banta-Green, manager of the University of Washington Center for Community-Engaged Drug Education, Epidemiology and Research, said helium doesn’t expect anyone needing overmuch convincing to spell to the center. The feeling of withdrawal aft receiving a Narcan dose is almighty capable that astir radical volition question help, helium said.

“What we deliberation is that if we connection a large spot and connection starts to spread, radical volition privation to travel here,” helium said.