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Mayor Harrell Directs $2.85M to Expand Substance Use Disorder Detox and Treatment Beds 

Opioid settlement funding to support expansion of services at Valley Cities Recovery Place Seattle  

Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a $2.85M investment to provide dedicated detox and inpatient treatment bed capacity for those with substance use disorder (SUD). Funding will support additional bed capacity at Valley Cities Recovery Place Seattle in Beacon Hill through a pilot program. 

“People suffering from substance use disorder and addiction need access to treatment to get well – this investment will deliver on that need,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “Our efforts to address synthetic opioids and the impacts of substance use have been guided by our commitment to a dual public health and public safety approach. Working alongside our partners, this comprehensive strategy – laid out in our 2023 Executive Order – is helping make a difference; preliminary data shows 150 fewer fatal overdoses in 2024 compared to this time last year. Using opioid settlement funds to expand treatment services through Valley Cities is another critical element of our efforts to save lives and help more people find a path to recovery.” 

Mayor Harrell continued, “Thank you to our partners like Purpose Dignity Action, LEAD, Evergreen Treatment Services, REACH, We Deliver Care, and Public Health – Seattle & King County for the ongoing coordination and collaboration to create a continuum of solutions that are making a difference.” 

This new, innovative city approach will provide availability for approximately 13 dedicated detox and inpatient treatment beds to the City. Valley Cities estimates up to 150 people will be served over a 12-month period. For individuals seeking treatment for SUD, these beds will provide a seamless transition from detox/withdrawal treatment. The investment will also increase intake capability to 24 hours, 7 days a week. Upon contract execution, Valley Cities anticipates referrals beginning later this year. 

This pilot program is informed by Mayor Harrell’s Executive Order 2023-04: Addressing the Opioid and Synthetic Drug Crisis in Seattle and recommendations from the Opioid Settlement Stakeholder Feedback. Recommendations were prepared by the University of Washington School of Nursing and guided by Research with Expert Advisors on Drug Use (READU), aims to support people accessing care as soon as possible by reducing barriers. Medicaid, and other insurance, cover medical detoxification and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) stabilization, however, the clinical need for many clients to stabilize, particularly those who are using fentanyl, may exceed the administratively set limits for funding including requested extensions. This program’s funding is intended to precede Medicaid, or other insurance, so that waiting for coverage, or approval for coverage, is not a barrier to immediate access. 

“The Human Services Department is moving quickly to implement millions of dollars in opioid settlement funds to provide those suffering from substance use disorder with more options for detox and treatment,” said Tanya Kim, Director of Seattle’s Human Services Department. “This investment will address reported service and system gaps by supporting transitions from addiction to detox to treatment and finally, recovery. Building on Mayor Harrell’s actions, we are bringing life-saving resources to the most vulnerable in our community.” 

To ensure successful referrals, HSD will stand-up a workgroup including, but not limited to: Valley Cities, King County, City of Seattle first responders, and outreach provider partners. 

In the fall of 2023, the City Council adopted a spending plan based on information from the national opioid litigation settlements. Since then, the City learned of two additional settlements to be finalized in 2024. Unlike previous settlements to be paid over 17 years, in March 2024 the City received a one-time distribution of $1.75M from Walmart in the national Opioid litigation. The City expects an additional award of over $1M this year.   

Valley Cities provides licensed mental health and SUD treatment for individuals of all ages. Their services include homeless outreach, housing programs, and specialized care throughout Seattle and King County. 

 
What People Are Saying 

Shekh Ali, Chief Executive Officer, Valley Cities Behavioral Health Care

“This initiative prioritizes Seattle residents by reserving five withdrawal management beds and eight residential treatment beds tailored to each individual’s clinical needs, rather than limiting duration based on insurance. Available 24/7, Recovery Place Seattle accepts consumers through self-referrals, first responders, and community agencies, ensuring immediate access to life-saving care. This expansion is a vital step in equipping Seattle with additional tools to tackle the opioid crisis and support residents on their path to recovery.” 

Council President Sara Nelson 

“I applaud this investment because expanding access to on-demand, comprehensive substance use disorder treatment is one of my top priorities. By providing 24/7 intake and City dedicated treatment beds, this pilot thoughtfully utilizes millions of dollars in opioid settlement funds to address the barriers too many in our community face when seeking treatment.” 

Councilmember Cathy Moore, Chair, Housing and Human Services Committee 

“A decade ago, 326 people in King County died from overdose in 2014. Last year, there was a record-breaking 1,339 overdose deaths in our community. That is more than a 4-fold increase. The biggest difference is fentanyl. It’s a crisis we can’t ignore. That’s why I am proud to support this critical step to getting people into treatment. Our work is not done! I look forward to continuing to take bold steps to build out our opioid epidemic response system in Seattle.”  

Chief Sue Rahr, Seattle Police Department 

“Our police officers encounter so many people that are living in desperate circumstances, where jails and hospitals are not equipped to address their needs. Having dedicated detox and treatment beds creates an option for these desperate souls where they can be stabilized to the point of making healthier, more rational choices for longer term treatment and support, rather than cycling back out to the street where they are further victimized.” 

Chief Harold Scoggins, Seattle Fire Department 

“Seattle’s firefighter/EMTs and paramedics respond to 911 calls for the medical needs of individuals with substance use disorder on a daily basis. The department’s post overdose response unit (Health 99) needs more options for places to take people so they can receive follow-up treatment, especially after buprenorphine is administered by paramedics in the field. This investment of increased detox and inpatient treatment bed capacity helps us in that mission.” 

Chief Amy Smith, Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department 

“I am thrilled that Mayor Harrell is acting with urgency to interrupt cycles of suffering so that our neighbors have a chance to recover and heal. Every life has equal value; our investments must be aligned with this simple truth.” 

Lisa Daugaard, Co-Executive Director, Purpose. Dignity. Action. 

“Improved access at all points along the recovery services continuum is critical to improving care and outcomes for Seattle residents dealing with substance use disorder. Dedicated capacity at Valley Cities Recovery Place is a valuable piece of the puzzle; we and partners in diversion and outreach programs will appreciate the added resources to match people to who are asking for such services. It will be important, too, to ensure people don’t discharge from these facilities back to the street without adequate support. We pledge to work in collaboration with City leaders to build out those ongoing supports to maximize the impact of this important investment.” 

Steve Woolworth, Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Treatment Services 

“This is yet another needed investment to continue expanding the capacity of the behavioral health system to include more pathways into recovery for those needing support and treatment. The clinical flexibility connected to these withdrawal management and residential treatment beds is especially important.” 

Daniel Malone, Executive Director, DESC 

“Short term beds for people who need to stabilize from substance use disorder remain in high need in our community, and we’re glad to see this addition to the continuum. This will expand options for people who receive initial post-overdose stabilization services at DESC’s upcoming ORCA Center, to have some additional time and care in which to further stabilize.” 

Susan McLaughlin, Behavioral Health and Recovery Division Director, King County Department of Community and Human Services 

“Safe and accessible withdrawal management is the first step to recovery for many, so adding these beds and scaling up this treatment will help more people access care. By connecting withdrawal management and access to medications, we are demonstrating increased coordination to ensure people have the best options to treat opioid use disorder, and help save lives. Today’s announcement dovetails with King County’s existing work with Valley Cities and further reduces barriers to treatment so we can get results.”  

 
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Under Mayor Harrell and guided by Executive Order 2023-04, the City is taking a dual public health and public safety approach to address the impacts of the fentanyl and synthetic opioid crisis, including: 

  • Launching the Seattle Fire Department’s Health 99 post-overdose response team focused on responding to overdoses and connecting those suffering from opioid use disorders to treatment and care. 
  • Advancing a pilot program that allows Seattle Fire paramedics to administer buprenorphine in the field to treat acute opioid withdrawal following a non-fatal overdose. 
  • Investing $7 million in capital funding toward a post-overdose recovery facility and enhanced mobile addiction treatment services, supporting diversion, treatment, medical care, increased casework and provider coordination, and day center services. 
  • Investing nearly $6 million in CoLEAD in the 2024 budget, offering temporary lodging and intensive case management for people involved in the criminal legal system who are also experiencing housing and income instability, mental illness, and/or substance abuse disorders. 
  • Seattle Police Department continues to make arrests of dealers and traffickers, with an estimate of more than 2 million fentanyl pills seized in 2023 – enough to kill the entire city. 
  • Funding expanded mobile medication delivery for opioid use disorders and allocating ongoing funding to harm reduction providers. 
  • Initiating an innovative contingency management drug abatement program in cooperation with Plymouth Housing. This research-based program is important to address polysubstance use, as there are no FDA-approved medications for stimulant use disorder. 
  • Reinvesting in We Deliver Care to provide frontline care to those suffering from addiction in the downtown core. 
  • Creating the CARE Department staffed with behavioral health professionals to respond to 911 calls, connecting people in crisis to services.