Click here to watch on ECTV2.com. or see schedule for viewing on Channel 191
If you’re watching on ectv2.com, you can fast-forward to the speaker of your choice, or rewatch the segments:
Rich Elliott, intro – 4:00
Introductions of panelists – 6:30
Rich Elliott (11:06) : “This isn’t a problem that starts overnight. It’s not a single problem; it’s a myriad of issues. As a community, we can choose to solve it in ways that actually solve the underlying issues, or we can bury our heads in the sand and people end up in jail and nothing gets fixed.”
Kim Hitchcock (13:00): “Addiction is a disease that takes over your brain and your body and your will.”
Emily Nelson (21:00): “Opiates right now seem to be the face of the epidemic we’re facing.”
Dr. John Asriel (26:58): “The good news for the county is that there is quite a lot going on in response to the opioid addiction problem we’re having.”
Emily Brown (31:41): “Addiction is a disease of isolation. We strive to help participants find a sense of connection and belonging, to the court, their families, their friends and community.”
Ken Wade (36:50): “In Ellensburg alone, in four years we had a 400% increase in opioid arrests. Last year we had a drop of 20% in opioid [arrests] but now there’s a resurgence of meth amphetamine and cocaine. This is a huge problem and we’re not going to arrest our way out of it.”
Clay Myers (41:40): “What we learned is that people are getting worse, not better. Problems don’t always manifest themselves in medical problems, but in mental health problems.”
Q&A: 48:30
Kitsap LWV held a Forum on Opioid Use Disorder in March, 2019. Click here to view a discussion on the mechanisms of the disorder.