ADAI News

Opioid Trends in Washington State: New Interactive Data Resource

New on the ADAI website are a set of interactive charts tracking data on:

• the number and rate of overdose deaths,
• treatment admissions,
• statewide opioid sales, and
• police evidence testing data for opioids and other drugs.

Use the light blue toolbar across the top of each page to view data by geography, by drug, or by source.  

Click on variables to enable/disable them in the charts (for example, you can hide substances you aren't interested in seeing the data for), and hover your mouse over lines or data points to learn more about them.

Charts can be downloaded to use in handouts or presentations, or present the interactive data right from the website.  

Mobile-friendly and loaded with great information -- this new resource will be regularly updated with current data.  For help using this new resource, contact Jason Williams, anjrw@uw.edu

Additional new resources on our website related to opioids include: 

Fentanyl Death Investigation in Four Washington State Counties

Guide to Fentanyl Surveillance for WA State Syringe Service Programs 

See also: Dr. Caleb Banta-Green discusses the rise in fentanyl-related deaths in Washington in today's Seattle Times. 

For more information about opioid overdose, visit http://StopOverdose.org.

Job for Nurse Consultant - Opioids & Opioid Use Disorder Educator

The ADAI Center for Opioid Safety Education is seeking a Nurse Consultant to work in collaborative project between ADAI and the WA State Dept of Health. This is a DOH staff position funded by a CDC grant to serve as a DOH clinical subject matter expert on opioid prescribing guidelines, opioid use disorder, evidence based preventions/interventions and treatments.

The position reports directly to a WMS 2 manager in DOH's Office of Community Health Systems in Tumwater but will be placed at, and work out of, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute at the UW. Regular intra-state travel will be required. Duties include:

• Provides technical assistance and clinical consulting services to health care providers and WA State communities about managing opioid prescribing and opioid use disorders.
• Develops strategies in conjunction with DOH and University of WA based on emerging data.
• Develops processes for monitoring ongoing performance and impact of technical assistance.  Use quality improvement process to help opioid intervention/prevention efforts meet grant goals and objectives.
• Collaborates and communicates with a broad spectrum of public health constituents and participants including federal, state and local public health officials, government officials, private individuals, physicians, nurses and other health professionals regarding opioid use disorder and related issues.

Qualifications: A Bachelor's degree or higher in Nursing is required. Other requirements include 1) Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN) or Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) in the state of Washington OR eligible to obtain licensure within 6 months of hire date. 2) Five (5) or more years (full-time equivalency) of public health nursing experience. 3) Demonstrated experience designing and implementing training.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Sept. 15, 2016

Full description and application: http://tinyurl.com/DOH3328

King County's Heroin & Prescription Opiate Task Force Already Taking Action to Reduce Fatal Overdoses

The heroin and prescription opiate task force that King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray brought together last month is already taking action to reduce the number of fatal overdoses.

About 90 doses of naloxone – a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of heroin and opiate overdose – will be distributed to local treatment and housing providers where people receive assistance for mental illness and addiction. It’s the first in what will be a series of recommendations by the task force representing the medical field, treatment providers, police and fire, hospitals, public health and other disciplines.  Caleb Banta-Green from ADAI/UW is one of members.

“This impressive lineup of experts is already recommending actions we can take now to save lives immediately,” said Constantine. “It demonstrates that we share a sense of urgency and a commitment to creating innovative solutions.” 

More about the Task Force and how to prevent overdose deaths.

For education and resources to prevent overdose, visit StopOverdose.org

Seattle Police Begin Carrying Heroin Antidote

Seattle police are now carrying Naloxone (Narcan), a medication that reverses overdose from heroin and other opioids, including prescription pain medicine.   In an interview by Al Jazeera America, television host and parent Penny LeGate talks about her daughter's overdose, and how it may have been prevented if this life-saving drug had been available. The news story includes comments from ADAI Research Scientist Caleb Banta-Green, a specialist in opioid addiction and overdose prevention.

WATCH: 

New Task Force to Tackle Heroin Epidemic in Seattle, King County

Calling the regional heroin epidemic one of the major causes and consequences of homelessness, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced a task force Tuesday charged with finding ways to expand treatment, with a goal of providing it on demand.

At a news conference on Beacon Hill, Murray said city outreach workers and police officers have told him that hundreds of the people living on the streets and in unauthorized tent encampments are struggling with addiction.

“We can make a significant impact on homelessness if we make an impact on addiction,” Murray said.

“This wave is hitting every community across King County, sparing no race, no age, no neighborhood, no income level,” Constantine said.

The 32-member task force includes health and treatment providers, law enforcement, social-service agencies, cities and the University of Washington, including Caleb Banta-Green, a senior researcher with the UW’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute.  The group will hold its first meeting this month and It is expected to report back in September.

Read full story in Seattle Times...

 

Syringe Exchange and Drug Injector Health in Washington State

Two reports from the Center for Opioid Safety Education (COSE) at the UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute present an overview of Washington's syringe exchange programs (SEP), and the results of a survey of injection drug user health.  The reports are intended to help SEP learn from each other and improve syringe exchange operations in the state.  The survey was conducted in King County by Public Health - Seattle & King County, and coordinated across other sites statewide by COSE. 

Results from the 2015 Washington State Drug Injector Health Survey, Susan Kingston & Caleb Banta-Green, February 2016.  http://adai.uw.edu/pubs/infobriefs/2015DrugInjectorHealthSurvey.pdf

Overview of Syringe Exchange Operations in Washington State,  Susan Kingston & Caleb Banta-Green, September 2015.   http://adai.uw.edu/pubs/infobriefs/SEPoverview2015.pdf

Related:

Use available tools to fight America’s opioid drug crisis. (Seattle Times editorial, 2/11/2016)

Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders

Opioid Trends Across Washington State, 2015

StopOverdose.org website

Washington's New Law on Naloxone Goes into Effect, July 24, 2015

Washington state's new "Naloxone Law" is now active law in the state. HB1671 seeks to scale-up access to naloxone by making distribution of this live-saving medication to laypersons more efficient.

The law specifically permits naloxone to be:

• prescribed directly to an "entity" such as a police department, homeless shelter or social service agency.
• distributed by non-medical providers (e.g., health educator, counselor, syringe exchange volunteer) under a prescriber's standing order.

For more details on the new law and what it might mean for your organization or overdose prevention program, read the the naloxone update on stopoverdose.org.

More news in the latest issue of Opioid Overdose Update.

KUOW: As Overdoses Rise, King County Loses Detox Beds for Treatment

KUOW radio's Ross Reynolds spoke with Dennis Donovan, director of the University of Washington's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, about the loss of detox beds in King County and what that means for people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.   

Questioning The Safety Of Opiate Prescriptions (KUOW)

KUOW's Marcie Sillman talks with University of Washington pain specialist Dr. Jane Ballantyne about evolving attitudes and prescribing practices around  prescription opiates. Listen on KUOW 

 
Related:

Interview: King County Heroin Deaths Up 58 Percent In 2014

Report: Drug Trends in the Seattle-King County Area, 2014

Resource: StopOverdose.org

Heroin Overdose Deaths Up in Seattle-King County in 2014

Heroin deaths in Seattle-King County rose 58 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to an annual report published June 18 by UW’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute. “The increase in drug deaths in 2014, particularly heroin, is quite distressing,” said Caleb Banta-Green, senior research scientist with the institute and the report’s lead author. He said King County has expanded access to lifesaving measures, including opioid drug treatment, and is distributing the opiate overdose antidote naloxone. It appears, however, that heroin use and related mortality are outpacing these efforts. For more on the story, see the article in HSNewsBeat and coverage in Seattle Times, KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000, KING-TV NBC 5, and KUOW.

Report: Drug Abuse Trends in Seattle-King County Area: 2014.