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In 2-day summit, Whatcom County focuses on ‘fractured’ opioid response

Community members discuss intersectional drug issues, solutions

By David Nuñez News Intern

Health care workers, tribal leaders, educators, community members and law enforcement gathered Tuesday and Wednesday, June 27–28, for the inaugural All Hands Whatcom: Opioid Summit to find a centralized approach to addressing the opioid crisis. 

As of June 6, at least 35 people had died of an overdose in Whatcom County. The majority of these drug deaths were due to fentanyl or other synthetic opioids. 

The summit was a two-day event hosted by the Chuckanut Health Foundation in partnership with the University of Washington. Roughly 300 people attended the North Sound region of the summit at Bellingham High School to discuss education, prevention, treatment and recovery from the opioid epidemic. 

The attendance was deemed a success by Heather Flaherty, executive director of Chuckanut Health Foundation. 

“We had educators, nonprofit youth providers, law enforcement, treatment professionals and concerned community members,” Flaherty said in an interview. “[When] we can come together like this, things are possible here and we actually can make a big difference.” 

Soon after the summit concluded, Whatcom County announced the launch of a centralized website for opioid-related information and a Multi-Agency Coordination Group, a coalition of stakeholders that provide resources and policy-level support. 

The summit focused on the voices of Native Americans, who have been impacted the most by drug overdose deaths in the U.S., according to a federal study.   

To combat it, Indigenous communities have had success in creating a centralized response to the drug epidemic — in part, because of their communal culture, said Tammy Cooper-Woodrich, a Nooksack tribal elder. Woodrich said it’s difficult for non-Natives to live communally, resulting in often siloed services. 

“It’s frowned upon to live communally now,” Woodrich said in an interview. “Many of our homes are filled with family members with lots of love for taking care of one another with our gifts.” 

Woodrich added that the collaborative efforts in Whatcom County have begun, and she wants to continue the networking of services for those who need help. 

That message of collaboration was heard by Carol Ouellette, a case manager at a local shelter who works with those affected by the opioid crisis. 

“I came away [from the summit] with new resources, ideas and way of thinking about things I hadn’t previously had,” Ouellette said in an interview. “It was wonderful, surprising and joyful because that was what I was looking for.” 


A blue jail sign is posted outside of the county jail.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Deputy JeriLyn Klix put in a plug for a new jail, saying the community needs a jail that merges the law enforcement and medical worlds together. The sentiment was met with criticism from other panelists, who called for rehabilitation over incarceration. (Ron Judd/Cascadia Daily News)

A panel of community members who have been affected by the opioid crisis shared frustrations about what they say is a fractured drug response in Whatcom.  

One of the speakers, Laurie Satushek, lost a loved one to the opioid crisis, which she said is interconnected with housing and homelessness.   

“Many of these people that are on the street right now, that are homeless, need a place to go,” Satushek said in an interview. “There is no long-term solution or care that is a compassionate place to go. Jail is not compassionate.” 

This frustration was shared by fellow panel speaker Kevin Coleman, who also lost a loved one to the opioid crisis. Coleman said local resources don’t seem to be collaborating. 

“In reality, they aren’t solving anything because they are only helping people within their own siloes,” Coleman said in an interview. “They aren’t collectively helping as a whole.” 

A variety of solutions arose from the summit, including a discussion on how to voluntarily and involuntarily house those in need of help. 

A cross-sector panel of school, fire, medical, police and sheriff’s office officials talked about the need for more beds for involuntary treatment. 

Sheriff’s Deputy JeriLyn Klix said the community needs a jail that merges the law enforcement and medical worlds together.  

“If you ask me what the arm behind my back is, it is a correctional facility where we are unable to put people,” Klix said during the panel. “We don’t have the facilities to detain people for involuntary needs, and that’s one thing I want to see changed.” 

A ‘Next Gen’ panel criticized plans for a new jail.  

“No new jail!” said Reagan Trim, a human services student at Western Washington University, during the panel. The response was met with applause from the crowd and the other panel members. Trim said American jails don’t help or rehabilitate people and disproportionately incarcerate people of color.

Instead of funding a new jail, Trim said creating safe-use sites, like the Canadian model, would better help with rehabilitation. 

This exchange of solutions is what Shu-Ling Zhao, community advancement director for Chuckanut Health Foundation, considers a success. Zhao said she wants to see people inspired into action following the summit.  

“We know the problem; we increased awareness of the problem, but what do we actually do?” Zhao said in an interview. “Asking [people] to commit to action is so important because otherwise it just falls by the wayside.” 


The Chuckanut Health Foundation will host its next event on Aug. 1. The foundation will welcome Sam Quinones, author of “The Least of Us” to speak about the opioid crisis.  

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