Sno-Isle Libraries will host “Behind the Scenes of Finding Fixes — The Search for Solutions to the Opioid Epidemic” on Thursday, Nov. 8 from 6:30 — 8 p.m. at the Sno-Isle Service Center, 7312 35^thAve. N.E., Marysville.

The first season of the Finding Fixes podcast looks at how communities and agencies across Snohomish County are coming together to respond to the opioid epidemic. The podcast officially launched in September, and is dedicated to solutions to the opioid epidemic. It was produced and hosted by Anna Boiko-Weyrauch and Kyle Norris, a reporter and producer at KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. At the event, Boiko-Weyrauch and Norris will talk about what inspired them to do a podcast and why they chose to start in Snohomish County.

“There are solutions to the opioid epidemic,” Boiko-Weyrauch said. “Snohomish County is full of inspiring stories in the midst of a bleak national crisis — from the personal triumphs of people in recovery from addiction, to the people on the front lines of the struggle.”

Also at the event will be local leaders, health care providers and community members featured in the five-episode series to give an insider’s perspective on the impact opioids and heroin have on neighbors, friends and family. Event attendees will be able to pose questions to Boiko-Weyrauch and Norris as well as providers of services and resources, including prevention, treatment and support.

”We’re very proud to participate with the Sheriff’s Office and other agencies on this critical subject,” Sno-Isle Libraries Executive Director Jonalyn Woolf-Ivory said. “Bringing people together to discuss issues of community interest and importance is a key role for Sno-Isle Libraries.”

The evening will be facilitated by Shari Ireton, Director of Communications with the Sheriff’s Office, who has been working closely with the Sheriff and county leaders on the opioid epidemic for several years, including presenting a paper on the topic at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute in 2017.

Each of the five episodes of Season 1, titled “The Search for Solutions to the Opioid Epidemic,” looks at one possible solution:

• Episode 1 — Medicine That Melts under Your Tongue explores local treatment options, including Ideal Options, which partners with the Snohomish County jail to ensure continuity of care for those seeking drug treatment.
• Episode 2 — A Life-Saving Nasal Spray looks at the role naloxone (aka Narcan), an opioid overdose reversal drug, plays in Snohomish County.
• Episode 3 — A Valuable Lesson from a Landslide examines how Snohomish County is using a page from the FEMA playbook — normally used for disaster response — to respond this slow-moving disaster in our community.  This includes activation of the county’s Opioid Response Multi-agency Coordination (MAC) Group (see additional information below).
• Episode 4 — Professional Handholders highlights the work of the embedded social worker program — the Office of Neighborhoods — as well as the newly-opened Diversion Center.
• Episode 5 — The Jail Turns Things Around features the Snohomish County jail — the county’s largest de facto “detox” facility — and the staff inside working hard to screen and care for inmates addicted to opioids and other substances.

“Finding Fixes” is available to listen to online or download via Apple or Google Podcasts.

Snohomish County’s Opioid Response MAC Group has developed multiagency goals focused on reducing the negative impacts opioids have on the health, safety, and quality of life of our communities:

• Reduce opioid misuse and abuse;
• Lessen the availability of opioids;
• Reduce criminal activity associated with opioids;
• Use data to detect, monitor, evaluate, and act;
• Reduce collateral damage to the communities;
• Provide information about the response in a timely and coordinated manner; and
• Ensure the availability of resources that efficiently and effectively support response efforts.

Agencies and jurisdictions involved in the MAC Group include Snohomish Health District; Snohomish County (Executive’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Human Services, Department of Emergency Management, Medical Examiner’s Office, Public Works, Planning and Development Services, and County Council); South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue; Fire District 7; the Cities of Everett, Arlington and Marysville; and the police departments of Everett, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Marysville, Monroe and Arlington.

For more information and resources, go to snohomishoverdoseprevention.com.