Overdose Prevention & Response

Starting in 2023, these confidential “case reviews” examine a decedent’s life cycle in terms of drug use history, comorbidities, major health events, social-emotional trauma, encounters with law enforcement and the criminal legal system, treatment history, and next of kin interviews to facilitate a deeper understanding of the missed opportunities for prevention and interventions that may have prevented the overdose death. These multi-agency team meetings identify system gaps and patterns of needs and opportunities across systems of care. Agencies participating are Benton and Franklin coroners, all law enforcement agencies, substance use treatment agencies, corrections from Benton and Franklin counties, community organizations, fire department/EMS agencies, healthcare institutions, housing providers, and a harm reduction agency.

This is a partnership with public safety, law enforcement, fire department/EMS providers, and public health. It is a map that identifies locations & data where there are non-fatal and fatal incidents in our area.

Washington State Department of Health provides us with vital record data, which we use to show the local details on overdoses in our area: Data Dashboards - Benton Franklin Health District (wa.gov).

BFHD has a three-tiered approach to distribution of the lifesaving drug naloxone.

1. Families and organizations stock it in first aid kits and learn to use it through education provided by BFHD.
2. Distribution to the highest-risk groups, families of someone using substances, people using substances, people taking opiate medication and people at risk for overdose (mainly newly out-of-incarceration, treatment, sober housing).
3. Pick up sites located at Benton-Franklin Health District in Kennewick and Blue Mountain Heart to Heart in Kennewick.