Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers on Thursday announced he has signed a directive to extend activation of the emergency management system to address the opioid crisis. By signing the directive, the Snohomish County Opioid Response Multi-Agency Coordination Group [MAC Group] will continue its work to reduce overdose deaths and other negative impacts in the community.

“By getting all of our partners in one room, we are able to break down organizational silos and more effectively organize ourselves for the many challenges of the opioid epidemic,” Somers said. “The past year has shown that we can be more efficient and effective when working in collaboration. The activation of our emergency management system has been a key innovation in the fight against opioid abuse and overdose.”

Stephanie Wright, Chair of the Snohomish County Council, said the county is “seeing positive results from the county-wide effort to help those suffering from substance abuse and the negative impacts it has on our community.

“This collaboration has been an effective way to line up county resources with common objectives. The council will continue to support these efforts to address this critical community need,” Wright added.

“One of the advantages of having a MAC Group to address the opioid epidemic is that it strengthens existing partnerships in Snohomish County,” said Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary. “From law enforcement/embedded social worker teams addressing homelessness to multi-agency collaborations addressing nuisance properties, we can tackle the negative, quality of life issues opioid misuse has on our communities and neighborhoods.”

South County Fire Chief Bruce Stedman said the effort gives his organization “the opportunity to work closely with others who are facing the tough task of dealing with the human costs of the opioid epidemic. For every person that our firefighters and paramedics help, there is a complex story that needs an entire community’s response.”

More details about the Opioid Response MAC Group–including its objectives, action team leads and future progress reports–can be found at www.snohomishoverdoseprevention.com.