Prevent Opioid Misuse

It’s been a part of Everett’s street culture since 1988, the early years of efforts to address the AIDS epidemic and the “bleach and teach” outreach to those using injectable drugs to stop sharing needles and to sterilize the syringes in order to reduce transmission of HIV and other diseases. That legacy remains in its…

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell met with officials in northwest Washington state to discuss the impact of the opioid crisis on the area and how the federal government might be more effective in dealing with the matter. The Daily Herald reports the Democratic senator outlined legislation she’s working on to the Snohomish…

A “diversion center” is set to open up later this month in an old work-release center at the Snohomish County jail. It doesn’t look like much, but to those on the front lines of Snohomish County’s opioid epidemic, it’s a game changer. “We’re super excited,” said Deputy Bud McCurry. “We’ve got clients on the streets…

EVERETT, Wash. — Snohomish County officials are working to save the lives of homeless people addicted to heroin and opioids. State officials say in 2016, 90 people died from opioid and heroin abuse in Snohomish County. Officials in the county are planning to open the doors to a diversion center. The goal is to get…

Dirty needles littering public parks may sound like a relic of 1980s drug use and urban decay. But as America’s opioid crisis has worsened in recent years, governments are once again confronted with the problem. This time, however, the issue isn’t confined to big cities. “It’s a visible reminder of what we’re facing,” says Jessica…

SMOKEY POINT — Two social workers are now paired up with police in Marysville and Arlington, bringing to north Snohomish County a sheriff’s office program that helps homeless people to get sober, to get off the streets and to start rebuilding their lives. On Thursday morning Marysville officer Mike Buell stepped over dirty pillows, discarded…

MARYSVILLE, Wash. – Today, leaders from across Snohomish County officially launched the North County unit of the Office of Neighborhoods and touted the recent passage of a nuisance property ordinance at a press conference in the Lakewood/Smokey Point area.  The mayors and police chiefs of Marysville and Arlington joined Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary and Snohomish County Councilmember Nate Nehring at…

EVERETT — A son growing up in a home with two drug-addicted parents. A mom whose 24-year-old son died from a heroin overdose. An elementary school principal who sees the effects of kids growing up in a home shattered by drug use. And a mom who told of the pain of having her children temporarily…