Yakima, Washington Event Pairs Medication Disposal With Narcan

Yakima County residents disposed unused medications and sensitive documents while receiving overdose prevention resources. Washington’s Shreds and Meds events remind residents that prevention and treatment work together.

Safe Yakima Valley hosted the event outside the Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce alongside law enforcement and medical personnel. Grandview and Toppenish held their own Shreds and Meds the same day.

Yakima County Opioid Overdose Deaths

Yakima County hit 60 opioid overdose deaths in 2022. That rose to 88 in 2023, or 46.7%.

That’s an improvement, but it still means 90 people died in one year. Local prevention efforts address removing unused medication from homes and making Narcan available to anyone who may need to respond to an overdose or eventually go to detox.

Shreds & Meds Helps Residents

Residents could junk meds they no longer needed to reduce the odds of accidental overdoses as people try to cope with mental health and other difficulties. 

Mental Health & Addiction Go Together

Law enforcement and medical personnel gave locals access to professionals who could answer questions about safe disposal and treatment. A disposal event helps with immediate household safety while ongoing substance use may require a broader assessment. People seeking addiction care also experience depression, anxiety, trauma or other mental health concerns. When both occur, they are called co-occurring disorders.

Dual diagnosis treatment addresses drug use and mental health at the same time. 

Find Care Anywhere in the USA

Residential treatment centers and outpatient care are possibilities. The right setting depends on an individual assessment rather than on a single event or diagnosis.

You can search our online directory for behavioral health and addiction resources in Yakima County or anywhere else in the country. 

You can also dial 800-908-4823 (Sponsored) for guidance alongside an expert.

Author

Eric Owens

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Eric Owens has been a writer and editor for various businesses as well as his own successful websites. He has extensive experience creating content in the health and wellness space and the sustainability space. He holds a bachelor degree in Philosophy which helped him with presenting complex information in a simple way that all audiences can understand.

Editor

Peter Lee, PhD

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Peter W.Y. Lee is a writer and historian of American history during the Cold War. His primary focus is the relationship between youth and popular culture and its impact on U.S. society during the twentieth century. He has published widely on how the public has used popular culture as a mechanism to address political and social shifts throughout time