Fentanyl overdoses are a leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. In Washington State, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids (mostly fentanyl) have increased 10-fold over the past five years. In 2021, approximately 3 in 4 opioid overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids.
The December session of Hot Topics in Practice will explore data and trends on fentanyl overdoses in Washington State. Participants will identify misconceptions and misinformation about fentanyl and learn how community-level initiatives are succeeding in addressing the overdose crisis.
Presenters:
Katie Strozyk, MPH
Opioid Response Coordinator, Thurston County Public Health & Social Services
Noah Frank, MPH
Drug User Health Epidemiologist, Washington State Department of Health
These monthly Web-conferencing events, sponsored by the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, provide an authoritative hour-long forum for discussing topics that are important to the public health practice community and the tribal health units in the six Northwest states: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.