Mayor Bruce Harrell has made a decisive move to address Seattle's opioid crisis by allocating millions of dollars to bolster the city's substance abuse treatment infrastructure. A significant portion of the $7 million investment will be directed towards upgrading facilities for organizations providing post-overdose care and addiction services. According to an official press release from the Office of the Mayor, Downtown Emergency Service Center will receive the majority share of $5.65 million, while Evergreen Treatment Services is set to receive $1.35 million.
Mayor Harrell emphasized the urgent need to address the "deadly fentanyl and synthetic opioid crisis" in his recent announcement. "The new investment in a post-overdose recovery center and mobile clinics will to efficiently stabilize people following a non-fatal overdose," Harrell said, as quoted by the Office of the Mayor official website. This strategy aims to ease withdrawal symptoms that could lead to further drug use, and connect individuals with crucial treatment and recovery services.
This funding initiative is a cornerstone of Mayor Harrell’s Executive Order 2023-04, which forms part of his wider Downtown Activation Plan designed to revitalize downtown areas and enhance safety. The capital for this project is sourced from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant, pending federal approval as reported on Office of the Mayor official website.
Downtown Emergency Service Center plans to operationally launch a post-overdose recovery facility at the Morrison Hotel on Third Avenue after slated renovations kick off by the first quarter of 2025. These renovations will enable the facility to provide up to 23 hours of consecutive care for individuals with prolonged health conditions after an overdose. "By providing much-needed treatment such as medications for opioid use disorder...we aim to prevent the next overdose," Downtown Emergency Service Center Executive Director Daniel Malone told the Office of the Mayor. The intent is to reduce emergency room dependency and to enhance overall community well-being.
Meanwhile, Evergreen Treatment Services is reworking its proposal for the Health and Recovery Campus post-winter flooding, but it doesn't halt their progress. Backed by an additional $1 million investment from the city, this summer will see the launch of a new Evergreen Treatment Services mobile clinic, geared toward reaching vulnerable populations across Seattle and King County. "The campus will expand opioid use disorder treatment through an innovative urgent care model," said Evergreen Treatment Services CEO Steve Woolworth, laying out a vision for service delivery that integrates an outpatient clinic with mobile medical units. This approach has the potential to significantly widen the nets of care and access, according to the Office of the Mayor official website.
In both cases, Downtown Emergency Service Center and Evergreen Treatment Services serve as key players in the continuum of first and secondary response services. Their collaboration with outreach programs and emergency medical services is a critical component of the city's overall strategy to combat drug-related harm and fatalities. These new investments, as the Seattle Human Services Department's stakeholder-informed RFQ suggests, are built upon the lived experiences of those in recovery, the expert recommendations of addiction medicine professionals, and the operational insights of emergency medical providers.
