In November 2019, the Board of Health adopted Resolution 19-25 declaring its intent to take on naloxone distribution and coordination for law enforcement and city partners. That included the following provisions:

1. Municipalities that contribute per capita dollars will have their naloxone supplies paid for with their contribution, and the Health District will partner with them for expanded naloxone training and opioid outreach in their communities.

2. Municipalities that don’t contribute per capita dollars will be invoiced for the cost of the requested kits and an administrative fee.

3. The Health District will actively seek additional funding opportunities to help defray expenses, including applying for MAC Group funding if approved by the County Council and other local, state, and national grant opportunities.

4. The AmeriCorps VISTA member currently housed with the Health District will assist with tracking and other administrative duties of the program.

5. The program will remain in place in 2020, and the Board of Health will evaluate the program in one year and make a determination about continuing beyond December 2020.

Following adoption of the resolution, staff emailed mayors, city managers, and police chiefs with a copy of the resolution. For those cities that have committed at least $1.00, new interlocal agreements have been sent that include provisions for the naloxone program. There are currently no jurisdictions that have asked to be billed for naloxone purchases only. However, staff have been working with the MAC Group to see if some of those funds could be allocated to the Health District to cover naloxone purchases for cities that do not contribute a per capita.

Staff have also met with Snohomish County Human Services to collect information on tracking, contact, procedures, etc. Internal processes and procedures are being developed, as well as outreach to participating police departments to confirm officer assignments and kits on hand. Mountlake Terrace was the first department to need additional kits, so an initial order of 40 kits was purchased through the Health District’s existing contract for medications. The kits from Cardinal Health were $66.45, which is a savings compared to the $75 cost per kit incurred by Human Services.

Staff will continue to investigate ways to reduce costs. These efforts and data-tracking will be shared with the Board on an ongoing basis as the year progresses.

The table below represents the current status of decisions for per capita contributions in 2020.

RCW 70.05.060 – Powers and duties of local board of health.

No action required. Briefing only.