11.03.23

$5.9M to Western WA Tribes, Counties, Cities, For Programs Addressing Substance Abuse

Quinault, Puyallup, Tulalip Tribes; Mason County; Cities of Kirkland & Olympia receive grants to help justice system, first responders & tribal care providers better handle drug crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Six communities in Western Washington are receiving substantial federal grants to help improve local responses to the substance abuse crisis, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced today. 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is awarding the grants.

“The State of Washington saw an alarming 33% increase in reported drug overdose deaths from May 2022 to May 2023, the highest increase in the nation,” said Sen. Cantwell. “This funding will help six different Western Washington communities fight the scourge of fentanyl and other drugs by aiding first responders, expanding drug court recovery programs, and giving locals better access to the most effective treatments.”

In total, $5,926,227 is being awarded to Washington state grantees.

City of Kirkland - $1,286,400

The grant will fund a comprehensive opioid, stimulant, and substance use site-based program at the Kirkland City Jail. The program will provide lifesaving screening for substance use disorder, on-site medication-assisted treatment (MAT) options, drug-harm diversion support services, and transitional reentry planning for incarcerated individuals struggling with substance use disorder. The money is awarded from the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-based Program.

Quinault Indian Nation - $1,000,000

The grant will support a collaboration between the Quinault Indian Nation's Adult and Family Healing to Wellness Courts (AFHWC) and the Quinault Wellness Center to deliver evidence-based, culturally inclusive recovery support tools to the community's most vulnerable residents. This three-year initiative will provide stabilizing services in a community heavily struck by substance use disorders with the help of trained Peer Recovery Supports who are also AFHWC Alums. The money is awarded from the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-based Program.

City of Olympia - $1,000,000

The grant will support continuing education of crisis workers, firefighters, and paramedics during times of crisis, along with tools and resources to cope with the immense secondary trauma they experience that often leads to high burnout. It will also support expanding a diversion program operated by Catholic Community Services of Western Washington and the creation of an adult mental health program within the same agency. The money is awarded from the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-based Program.

Puyallup Tribe of Indians - $999,324

The grant will support increased access to inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment services (including counseling and MAT), and family recovery support services that are culturally appropriate. In addition, the proposed project seeks to increase interventions and education within the Puyallup Tribal community to protect future generations. The money is awarded from the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-based Program.

Mason County - $890,675

The grant will support enhanced services by the Family Recovery Court of Mason County, with the goals of increased parent engagement and compliance with court orders, improved family reunification rates, increased implementation of trauma-informed practices, reduced substance use and mental health issues among parents, and enhanced child well-being and safety. The money is awarded from the DOJ's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Family Treatment Court Program.

Tulalip Tribes of Washington - $749,828

The grant will support enhanced capacity for the Tulalip Healing to Wellness Court (HWC), part of a joint courts system that also includes Family Treatment Court. Project activities include hiring two key staff members, a part-time wellness alumni cultural specialist, and a full-time substance use disorder professional. This will allow the court to increase capacity and create an alumni support program where those who have succeeded in getting sober with HWC support those new to the program. The money is awarded from the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance Adult Treatment Court Site-Based Program.

Sen. Cantwell has been a strong advocate for drug court and opioid treatment programs, and for federal resources to combat substance use.

This year she has been conducting a listening tour across Washington state to hear from people on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis. She has made nine stops on the tour so far. In May, Sen. Cantwell hosted a fentanyl crisis roundtable discussion in Pierce County, followed by a second roundtable discussion in Snohomish County in June; in July, she convened a roundtable in the Tri-Cities, a roundtable in downtown Seattle, and a roundtable in Spokane. In August, Sen. Cantwell hosted roundtables in Vancouver, WA, Port Angeles, Walla Walla, and Yakima.

In addition, in August, Sen. Cantwell attended and spoke at the National Tribal Opioid Summit, a gathering of approximately 900 tribal leaders, health care workers, and first responders from across the country.  The summit was organized by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the National Indian Health Board and hosted by the Tulalip Tribes and followed a first-ever statewide summit hosted by the Lummi Nation. At the national summit, Sen. Cantwell heard powerful stories from tribal community members with lived experience and discussed the scope and impact of the fentanyl crisis, as well as the pressing need for greater federal assistance for tribes.

In July, the Senate passed the FEND Off Fentanyl Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The bill, which Sen. Cantwell cosponsored, would enhance current law so U.S. government agencies can more effectively disrupt illicit opioid supply chains and penalize those facilitating the trafficking of fentanyl. It also declares international trafficking of fentanyl and the precursors used to make it a national emergency.

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