Office of Jani Hitchen, Pierce County Council, District 6 announcement.
Thank you to those who took the time to attend my two virtual listening sessions. We had great conversations regarding housing, public safety, the ferry system, and planning for future growth. Several attendees asked questions requiring a little research. Still, because of Zoom registration, I can grab their email address and follow up once I learn more. If you missed them or like in-person opportunities, please save the date of April 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Parkland-Spanaway library. The format will be similar to what I did on Zoom, but we will do it in person.
Opioid Summit
Last week, on Thursday, March 21, the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department hosted our 6th Annual Opioid Summit. This in-person event brought providers, advocates, community members and leaders, those with a substance use disorder, and those in recovery into the same room to discuss and share where we are on this journey as a county. You can watch the recording on PCTV at their link to Special Programs. A panel for those with lived experience shared concerns with barriers in our County to getting help. They raised issues around the stigma for those using drugs. While they did not discount that those with a substance use disorder can do things that are destructive or harm their relationships to meet their need for the substance they use, when they reached out for help, they often had to wait. We have some excellent providers doing that work locally through the TPCHD.
One of the committees for the Opioid Task Force is “Right Services, Right Time.” We have repeatedly heard that when someone suffers a crisis or asks for help, there is a window of time when that thought can turn into action. When the window closes, it can be days, months, or even years before they want to take that step again. The Council is currently working on asking our federal partners to fund mobile treatment services. We know that medically assisted treatment (MAT) is a highly effective way to stabilize a person and start them on a path to recovery. There is no such service for much of unincorporated Pierce County and even some of our cities and towns.
I am interested in connecting people who say, “Today is the day I want help,” with immediate services. This will save lives and improve the quality of life for those suffering and the family members and friends who support them.
Clover Park School District Students Call to Action
The night before the summit, I was invited to a screening of four short films produced by students from Clover Park Schools that focused entirely on youth speaking to youth about mental health and fentanyl. We know our youth in Pierce County are struggling, but we have some phenomenal tools being offered to youth and families locally.
One of those tools is Teen Mental Health First Aid. This national program is funded by the County’s behavioral health funds. It trains youth to identify when their peers or family are in crisis. It then gives them the tools to start supporting them.
For anyone who has gone through first aid and CPR classes, it is like the ABCs (Airway, Breathing, Circulation). However, they provide ways to identify symptoms and signs of mental health distress and what to do if it is a life-threatening emergency. Clover Park Schools participated, and the Superintendent’s Youth Advisory Council (SYAC) helped create these wonderfully influential short films. I have linked them below, and there is a graphic you can download and share with QR codes to take you to them as well. Please share with anyone who has teens or works with teens. They did an excellent job.
Thank you to the schools, the members of SYAC, and the families prioritizing teens’ participation in this skill-building. Just like CPR, knowing the signs of a mental health crisis can save a life. They were able to put these on through a grant from the TPCHD to help raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and teen mental health.
- Fentanyl Awareness in Our Community
- Fentanyl Awareness and Finding Value in Every Person
- Fentanyl Awareness and Mental Health
- Fentanyl Awareness and Having Social Support
They are really well done!
Such timely issues and great ideas to help Pierce County residents. I will take time to listen to the whole summit.