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Clallam County advisers review opioid 'gaps' report, eye prescribing changes, outreach, and co‑response programs
Summary
County epidemiologist presented an opioid gaps report showing a fentanyl‑linked overdose spike in 2021 and a roughly 50% drop in overdose fatalities from 2023 to 2025; board members prioritized prescribing‑practice interventions, naloxone and outreach to older housed adults, co‑response/diversion, youth prevention, and expanded treatment/detox for settlement funding.
The Clallam County Behavioral Health Advisory Board heard a briefing of a county “opioid gaps” report and moved toward broad funding priorities that staff will refine into RFP categories for opioid‑settlement dollars.
The county epidemiologist, presenting the report requested by the Board of Health and the Behavioral Health Advisory Board, said accidental fatal overdoses rose sharply beginning in 2021 with the arrival of fentanyl and that more detailed records work with the coroner and vital records had improved local data. “Fatal overdose deaths did see a sharp increase in 2021,” the epidemiologist said, and later noted that overdose fatalities decreased by roughly 50 percent from 2023 to 2025.
Why it matters: the report is intended to help the boards prioritize uses of opioid‑settlement funds that the state has approved. It combines mortality data, emergency‑department and hospital surveillance, youth surveys, prescription‑monitoring program analyses, and a partner survey of local service providers.
Key findings and discussion
- Demographics and settings: Recent county data showed most overdose decedents were men and concentrated in middle‑age cohorts; in 2025, about 73 percent of overdose decedents were recorded as permanently housed. Presenters and board members discussed how many fatal overdose cases involve people who were not connected to existing outreach or treatment services and therefore represent missed opportunities for intervention.
- Polysubstance involvement: The presenter said multidrug overdoses have increased substantially; combined‑substance deaths accounted for a large share of fatalities in recent years.
- Methadone and MOUD questions: The report showed methadone was involved in nearly one in five overdose deaths in 2025; the epidemiologist said further investigation is underway to determine whether those decedents were active medication‑for‑opioid‑use‑disorder (MOUD) patients.
- Health‑care surveillance: Syndromic surveillance of emergency‑department visits and hospital admissions showed spikes in 2023–24 with a downtrend in 2025; the presenter cautioned that small case counts in a rural county can make proportional trends volatile.
- Prescribing patterns: Prescription‑monitoring data indicate Clallam County’s opioid‑prescribing rates and long‑term opioid therapy rates are higher than the state average and that combined opioid‑sedative prescribing is widening. The epidemiologist highlighted morphine‑milligram‑equivalent (MME) thresholds used to flag high‑dose prescribing for further review.
Partner survey and regional examples
A community partner survey (limited by incomplete response rates) and a review of neighboring counties’ settlement use showed a range of promising approaches: public dashboards, school‑based prevention, expanded hours and mobile services, naloxone distribution and education, crisis stabilization options, and staffing support for data and coordination.
Board priorities
After discussion, board members agreed on broad funding categories staff should refine: (1) prescribing‑practice interventions (provider peer comparison, chart review and outreach to high‑risk patients), (2) naloxone distribution and targeted outreach to the highest‑risk demographic (notably older, housed adults), (3) law‑enforcement co‑response and diversion with robust follow‑up/warm handoffs, (4) prevention and youth mental‑health supports, and (5) expansion of treatment capacity including detox and supports for Medicare/Medicaid populations. Staff said they will return refined definitions and allowable‑use examples and suggested a task force including board members to craft an RFP.
What’s next
Staff will draft definitions under each category and map allowable uses from the state MOU; the board asked staff to return with clearer program definitions and potential funding levels. The epidemiologist said a public dashboard of agency reporting and contracted funding is planned in the coming months to improve transparency of local investments.
This coverage is based on the gaps‑report presentation and ensuing discussion; data and recommendations quoted here were described by the county epidemiologist and board members during the meeting. The board did not take a binding funding vote at this session and asked staff to refine priorities and return them for further consideration.
