WASHINGTON STATE PROJECT TO PREVENT PRESCRIPTION DRUG/OPIOID OVERDOSE (WA-PDO)

February 14, 2020Grays Harbor County Public Health & Social Services Department

Home > Overdose prevention project

WA-PDO is a statewide network of organizations mobilizing communities, providing overdose response training, and increasing access to naloxone through community programs and systems. This federally awarded grant is administered by the Washington Department of Health and is one of the strategies listed in the State Opioid and Overdose Response Plan under goal 3: Ensure and Improve the Health and Wellness of Individuals That Use Drugs.

This grant specifically seeks to increase access to naloxone for individuals who are at risk of having or witnessing an overdose.

Locally, this project is a collaborative effort between the Department of Health and Willapa Behavioral Health. For more information contact Sean Hemmerle at sean.hemmerle@doh.wa.gov.

The Washington State Project to Prevent Prescription Drug/Opioid Overdose (WA-PDO) was a five-year project implemented by ADAI and many syringe service programs across WA State to provide overdose prevention and response training and distribute naloxone. The project has released a new report describing the results of 5 years of naloxone distribution to people who use opioids and to law enforcement in WA State.

Read the full report here:

https://adai.uw.edu/new-report-wa-state-project-to-prevent-prescription-drug-opioid-overdose-final-report-on-naloxone-distribution/

The WA-PDO project recently received renewal funding through 2026 and is now administered by the WA State Department of Health:

WA State DOH Overdose Education and Naloxone.

Why was Grays Harbor County selected as an Overdose Prevention Project site?

We know that opioid use and overdose is a problem in Grays Harbor County.

Our syringe services program, which began in 2004, exchanged 759,818 needles in 2016.
Grays Harbor County has a higher rate of opioid-related deaths than Washington state as a whole. (Source: Washington State Department of Health Center for Health Statistics.)

The Grays Harbor Overdose Prevention Project will help get people who use opioids into treatment and prevent opioid-related deaths.

Does providing naloxone make people more likely to use drugs?

There is no evidence that giving people naloxone makes them more likely to use more drugs. It does, however, keep them alive to be able to seek treatment when they are ready. Going through withdrawal is painful and unpleasant. Research has shown that people who use heroin and are trained as overdose responders actually use less heroin over time as they assume new “peer leader” roles in their communities.

What is naloxone?

Naloxone is a prescription medicine that temporarily blocks the effect of opioids (heroin, OxyContin, Percocet, dilaudid, fentanyl, methadone, etc.). This helps a person start breathing again and wake up from an opioid overdose. It has no effect on other drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, or benzodiazepines.

Naloxone comes in three different forms: liquid injectable, nasal spray (NARCAN), and auto-injector (Evzio).

What is the purpose of naloxone distribution?

The purpose of this program is to prevent deaths from opioid overdoses. Naloxone is a short-term fix for a complicated problem that can only be addressed if the person is alive.

Who can legally possess naloxone?

Naloxone is a prescription medication. Washington state law (RCW 69.41.095) allows anyone “at risk for having or witnessing a drug overdose” to obtain naloxone and administer it in an overdose situation. Naloxone is not a scheduled or controlled drug so it is safe for anyone to possess.

Can I get in trouble for helping out in an overdose situation?

In Washington state, anyone trying to help in a medical emergency is generally protected from civil liabilities by RCW 4.24.300. Washington state's 911 Good Samaritan Overdose Law RCW 69.50.315 gives additional, specific protections against drug possession charges:

If you seek medical assistance in a drug-related overdose, you cannot be prosecuted for drug possession.
The overdose victim is also protected from drug possession charges.
Anyone in Washington state who might have or witness an opioid overdose is allowed to carry and administer naloxone (RCW 69.41.095).

How can I get naloxone for myself?

Naloxone is currently being distributed at:

Syringe Services Program operated by Willapa Behavioral Health - see www.healthygh.org/directory/syringe for more information.

Washington State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy has signed a standing order for naloxone. This standing order works like a prescription and allows any person or organization in the state to get naloxone from a pharmacy if you or your loved one is at risk of an overdose. Locally, Rite Aid, Safeway, and Walmart participate in this standing order distribution.

If you get naloxone from a pharmacy, you may have to pay a co-pay or deductible, depending on the terms of your health insurance plan.

How will I know how to use naloxone? What training is available?

Training is available to individuals who get naloxone at the syringe services program. Participants are trained to recognize and systematically respond to an overdose. They are also informed about what puts users at risk of overdose and avenues for recovering from addiction.

www.stopoverdose.org has training videos and resources for all lay responders.