EVERETT — The Mayor’s Drug Crisis Task Force, initiated to address the fentanyl crisis in Everett, gave a set of recommended actions presented to officials at a recent meeting.
Their key recommendations were to develop and execute a crisis and care coordination strategy in the city of Everett, and also launch the Emergency Mobile Opioid Treatment in Everett program with state Sen. June Robinson’s support, a street medicine program which aims to provide timely and necessary assistance to those in need. The recommendations also include addiction and mental health services in new sheltering options, strengthen communication and coordination between service providers and community members and ensure adequate and accessible detox beds and opioid treatment programs.
The task force collectively developed 15 recommendations.
Task force co-chairs Donna Molton and Jonathan Schwarz provided their perspective from the public and nonprofit sectors at the meeting held on Aug. 7 in the Council Chambers at 3002 Wetmore Ave. The inclusion of individuals with lived experiences was crucial in understanding the complexities of addiction and its impact on the community. Task force observers, such as City Councilmember Paula Rhyne, noted the emotional intensity of discussions, particularly when hearing from First Responders about the challenges they face in assisting individuals struggling with addiction.
The task force emphasized the need for funding to effectively implement the recommendations. Recommendations were primarily focused on the city of Everett, requiring strategic allocation of resources and grant funding. Potential contributions from the opioid settlement were identified as another funding source.
Chelsea Monroe, the project coordinator at the city, led the task force discussions and will be overseeing the implementation of recommendations.
The task force meetings, spanning from February to June, involved subject matter experts providing education and in-depth discussions on complex issues including a comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with addiction and homelessness.
Task force members were divided into four subcommittees: treatment, recovery, services, and crisis response and each subcommittee is focused on specific aspects related to addressing the drug crisis in Everett.
The recommendations were a culmination of discussions and analyses conducted by the subcommittees and shaped by individuals with lived experience of substance use disorders.
First Responders and crisis response teams highlighted a significant surge in emergency calls related to substance use disorders.
The crisis response subcommittee recommendations include focussing on community spaces and funding to enhance crisis response capacity, establishing a centralized communication platform to support individuals in crisis, emphasizing the importance of education and prevention particularly for the youth to address crisis effectively and advocating for funding and policy changes at state and federal levels.
“There’s an incredible gap where individuals clearly unable to care for themselves, are requiring intervention to prevent imminent harm,” Mayor Cassie Franklin said. She mentioned Ricky’s Law, a measure which the Legislature intended to create a unified involuntary commitment rulebook that allows those who are at-risk due to a substance use disorder to get the necessary care to protect them and the community. Franklin addressed how the law currently allows for involuntary options, but its threshold for deeming someone as an immediate threat is very high.
Monroe suggested many recommendations for improving Ricky’s Law, such as lowering the threshold, revising the criteria for involuntary commitment and advocating for long-term funding sources for multi-jurisdictional task forces.
“City employees are working to help protect those that are suffering and also helping to protect the city as well,” Rhyne said, adding to her appreciation of the efforts of the different departments like libraries and park rangers responding to the crisis. “Peer-to-peer support plays a crucial role in helping individuals realize their worth and journey towards recovery,” she added.
“Most folks are really committed and have continued to express a willingness to partner with the city they want to be involved with,” said Monroe as she reiterated how task force members are actively engaged and committed to partnering with the city.
County initiatives have been focusing on detox and treatment bed funding and are relying on county and state funding for expanding treatment bed capacity.
