Today the Seattle Police Department announced its receipt of a $5,000 donation from the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) made to the Seattle Police Foundation to help continue efforts to expand its naloxone program. This donation will go toward purchasing 100 additional naloxone kits for distribution to patrol officers.
SPD officers are on the front line of the opioid crisis, one of the most urgent public health and public safety issues facing Seattle, the Puget Sound region and the nation. Two years ago, SPD bike patrol officers began carrying and administering naloxone, through a generous grant from the Marah Project. To date, bike officers helped reverse 24 potentially deadly overdoses using Naloxone.
“This generous gift from P.A.A.R.I will help our Department expand our naloxone program,” said Police Chief Carmen Best. “Combating opioid addiction will take a collaborative effort, and this is a great example of public and private partnerships, coming together to help those struggling with addiction and to ultimately save lives.”
“As a City and a region, the crisis of opioid addiction has had a tragic and devastating impact on our communities. To combat the crisis, the use of naloxone by first responders has been one critical part of a comprehensive strategy to save lives and provide pathways to treatment and recovery,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “Thank you to P.A.A.R.I. for their support of the men and women of the Seattle Police Department as they work every day to combat the opioid crisis and save lives.”
“Seattle Police Department has shown a deep commitment to assisting those struggling with substance use disorders. P.A.A.R.I. is thrilled to be in Seattle for this important announcement and help SPD take this important step forward to expand access to lifesaving naloxone. We look forward to working together to address this critical community need,” said Allie Hunter McDade, Executive Director of P.A.A.R.I.
“Naloxone is an invaluable tool for reversing opioid overdoses quickly, but it is also a great engagement tool that allows the general public to see police as a source of help during an emergency,” said Caleb Banta-Green Senior Research Scientists at the UW’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute and member of the King County Heroin Task Force.
“SPD embraced carrying naloxone with its pilot program funded by The Marah Project in 2016. Two dozen “saves” proved it’s a valuable tool that can save lives. This generous gift from P.A.A.R.I. will help expand the reach of our first responders,” said Penny LeGate founder of The Marah Project and member of the recently formed King County Heroin Task Force.
If you or your organization would like to help support the SPD naloxone program, please contact the Seattle Police Foundation at (206) 684-0373 or e-mail Cherie Skager at cherie@seattlepolicefoundation.org
ABOUT P.A.R.R.I.
The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) is a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to help law enforcement agencies establish pre-arrest programs that create immediate and stigma-free entry points to treatment and recovery programs.
P.A.A.R.I. works across sectors to provide training, coaching and support; program models, policies and procedures and templates; seed grants; connections to more than 300 vetted treatment centers; a network of like-minded law enforcement agencies; a unified voice with media and legislators; and capacity building through AmeriCorps.
P.A.A.R.I. is free to join and open to any law enforcement agency that believes in treatment over arrest and views addiction as a disease, not a crime. Since June 2015, P.A.A.R.I. has launched more than 375 law enforcement programs in 32 states, distributed 10,000 4mg doses of life-saving nasal Naloxone and helped more than 12,000 people into treatment.
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