Opioid Use Disorder in Kitsap County

Every day more than 115 people in the U.S. die after overdosing on opioids, according to a 2017 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The total economic burden of prescription opioid misuse is estimated at $78.5 billion per year, including the costs of health care, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement. What is our experience in Kitsap County with Opioid Use Disorder? Are we doing better or worse than the state and the country when it comes to preventing and treating opioid abuse? How easy or difficult is it to find treatment locally?

To answer these and other questions, the League of Women Voters of Kitsap will hold a free public education program on Opioid Use Disorder in Kitsap County on Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Eagles Nest.

Our speakers will include Dr. Caleb Banta-Green, Principal Research Scientist at the University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, and Dr. Susan Turner, Health Officer for the Kitsap Public Health District.